# sweet smell of success

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/sweet-smell-of-success
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The rewarding sense of having succeeded.

## Examples

- He finally enjoyed the sweet smell of success after his hard work.
- After years of struggling to launch her business, she finally tasted the sweet smell of success when her sales doubled.
- Having finally secured the promotion he had chased for a decade, he paused to savor the sweet smell of success before starting his new duties.

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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.