HomeServicesBlogDictionariesContactSpanish Course
← Back to search

Meaning of smell blood | Babel Free

Verb CEFR B2

Definitions

To sense that one has an advantage over an adversary or rival.

idiomatic

Examples

“Later he intended to continue his goading of Neil. He could smell blood now; if only he could get the man to fall apart in one of their clubs.”
“Smelling blood in the economic meltdown, the lower house of parliament, or Duma, took the offensive, calling for Yeltsin to resign.”
“The Pistons, once they smelled blood, got more aggressive and the Spurs simply ran out of gas.”
“When buyers do turn up nowadays, she says, “they smell blood in the water and routinely offer 15 to 20 percent below the asking price.””

CEFR level

B2
Upper Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.

See also

Learn this word in context

See smell blood used in real conversations inside our free language course.

Start Free Course