# smell blood

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/smell-blood
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- The team smelled blood when their opponent started making mistakes.
- After the senator stumbled during the debate, her rival smelled blood and pushed harder on the difficult questions.
- Sensing that the market leader was vulnerable after the scandal, the smaller firm smelled blood and launched an aggressive campaign to capture their customers.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.