Odor vs. Scent — What's the Difference?

An odor (American English) or odour (British English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive by their sense of smell. An odor is also called a "smell" or a "scent", which can refer to either a pleasant or an unpleasant odor.

A distinctive smell, especially one that is pleasant

A quality of something that is perceived by the sense of smell

A trail indicated by the characteristic smell of an animal and perceptible to hounds or other animals

A strong, pervasive quality

The faculty or sense of smell

Esteem; repute

Impart a pleasant scent to

Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.

Discern by the sense of smell

(figuratively) A strong, pervasive quality.

A distinctive, often agreeable odor.

Esteem.

A perfume

Something which produces a scent; incense, a perfume.

An odor left by the passing of an animal.

Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume.

The trail of a hunted animal or fugitive

Any property detected by the olfactory system

The sense of smell

The sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form;

A hint of something imminent; a suggestion

To perceive or identify by the sense of smell

To suspect or detect

To fill with a pleasant odor; perfume

To hunt prey by means of the sense of smell. Used of hounds.

A distinctive smell.

A smell left by an animal that may be used for tracing.

The sense of smell.

A substance (usually liquid) created to provide a pleasant smell.

(figuratively) Any trail or trace that can be followed to find something or someone, such as the paper left behind in a paperchase.

(obsolete) Sense, perception.

(transitive) To detect the scent of; to discern by the sense of smell.

(ambitransitive) To inhale in order to detect the scent of (something).

To have a suspicion of; to detect the possibility of (something).

(transitive) To impart an odour to, to cause to have a particular smell.

To have a smell; (figuratively) to give an impression (of something).

To hunt animals by means of the sense of smell.

To perceive by the olfactory organs; to smell; as, to scent game, as a hound does.

To imbue or fill with odor; to perfume.

To have a smell.

To hunt animals by means of the sense of smell.

That which, issuing from a body, affects the olfactory organs of animals; odor; smell; as, the scent of an orange, or of a rose; the scent of musk.

Specifically, the odor left by an animal on the ground in passing over it; as, dogs find or lose the scent; hence, course of pursuit; track of discovery.

The power of smelling; the sense of smell; as, a hound of nice scent; to divert the scent.

A distinctive odor that is pleasant

An odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced

Any property detected by the olfactory system

Cause to smell or be smelly

Catch the scent of; get wind of;

Apply perfume to;