Word.ws English Dictionary

come out smelling like a rose

come out smelling like a rose is the alternative form of smell like a rose.

Meaning of smell like a rose

Verb

smell like a rose (third-person singular simple present smells like a rose, present participle smelling like a rose, simple past and past participle smelt like a rose or smelled like a rose)

  1. (colloquial, idiomatic, simile) To be regarded as appealing, virtuous, or respectable; to be untainted or unharmed.
    • come out smelling like a rose

Forms of come out smelling like a rose

third-person singular presentcomes out smelling like a rose
present participlecoming out smelling like a rose
pastcame out smelling like a rose
past participlecome out smelling like a rose

Questions about come out smelling like a rose

What is come out smelling like a rose the alternative form of?
Come out smelling like a rose is the alternative form of smell like a rose.

Words near come out smelling like a rose in the dictionary

  1. come out of one's shell
  2. come out of the broom closet
  3. come out of the closet
  4. come out of the woodwork
  5. come out on top
  6. come out smelling like a rose
  7. come out smelling of roses
  8. come out swinging
  9. come out with
  10. come over
  11. come rain or shine

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: come out smelling like a rose (page history and authors); smell like a rose (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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