stop and smell the roses

verb

To relax; to take time out of one's busy schedule to enjoy or appreciate the beauty of life.

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Meanings

verbstop and smell the roses (third-person singular simple present stops and smells the roses, present participle stopping and smelling the roses, simple past and past participle stopped and smelled the roses or stopped and smelt the roses)

present singular third person stops and smells the roses · participle present stopping and smelling the roses · participle past stopped and smelled the roses · past stopped and smelled the roses · participle past stopped and smelt the roses · past stopped and smelt the roses · alternative smell the roses · alternative stop and smell the flowers · alternative stop to smell the roses

  1. idiomaticTo relax; to take time out of one's busy schedule to enjoy or appreciate the beauty of life.
Cite this entry
APA

stop and smell the roses. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stop%20and%20smell%20the%20roses

MLA

“stop and smell the roses.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stop%20and%20smell%20the%20roses. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stop and smell the roses,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stop%20and%20smell%20the%20roses.

Source: stop and smell the roses on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.