From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishperfumeper‧fume1 /ˈpɜːfjuːm $ ˈpɜːr-/ ●●○ noun [countable, uncountable] 1 
DCBCOa liquid with a strong pleasant smell that women put on their skin or clothing to make themselves smell nice SYN scent She was wearing the perfume that he’d bought her.► see thesaurus at smell2 COa sweet or pleasant smell SYN scent It had the delicate perfume of roses. —perfumed adjective perfumed soapCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a liquid with a strong pleasant smell that women put on their skin or clothing to make themselves smell niceverbswear perfumeWhat's that perfume you are wearing? dab perfume on something (=quickly put perfume on )She dabbed some perfume on her throat.spray yourself with perfumeJody sprayed herself with some of her mother’s perfume.reek of perfume (=smell strongly of perfume)It seemed to Polly that Sasha always left the bathroom reeking of horrible perfume. smell of perfumeHer coat smelt of cheap perfume and cigarettes.adjectivesstrongI don't like wearing very strong perfume.heavy (=strong)She smelled of a heavy perfume he associated with his mother.exotic (=unusual and interesting because it seems foreign)The dancer left a waft of exotic perfume in the air.cheap/expensiveHe bought her a bottle of expensive French perfume.phrasesa bottle/jar of perfumeHe gave me a bottle of my favourite perfume.the smell/scent of perfumeThe smell of perfume filled the air.a whiff/hint of perfume (=a very slight smell of perfume )As she lifted the letter, she caught the faintest hint of perfume.COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a sweet or pleasant smelladjectivessweetShe breathed in the sweet perfume of the roses.heady (=strong and sweet)In early summer, lilacs finally open and release their heady perfume.faintthe faint perfume of a spring woodlanddelicateThe flowers have a delicate perfume similar to cowslips.
DCBCOa liquid with a strong pleasant smell that women put on their skin or clothing to make themselves smell nice SYN scent She was wearing the perfume that he’d bought her.► see thesaurus at smell2 COa sweet or pleasant smell SYN scent It had the delicate perfume of roses. —perfumed adjective perfumed soapCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a liquid with a strong pleasant smell that women put on their skin or clothing to make themselves smell niceverbswear perfumeWhat's that perfume you are wearing? dab perfume on something (=quickly put perfume on )She dabbed some perfume on her throat.spray yourself with perfumeJody sprayed herself with some of her mother’s perfume.reek of perfume (=smell strongly of perfume)It seemed to Polly that Sasha always left the bathroom reeking of horrible perfume. smell of perfumeHer coat smelt of cheap perfume and cigarettes.adjectivesstrongI don't like wearing very strong perfume.heavy (=strong)She smelled of a heavy perfume he associated with his mother.exotic (=unusual and interesting because it seems foreign)The dancer left a waft of exotic perfume in the air.cheap/expensiveHe bought her a bottle of expensive French perfume.phrasesa bottle/jar of perfumeHe gave me a bottle of my favourite perfume.the smell/scent of perfumeThe smell of perfume filled the air.a whiff/hint of perfume (=a very slight smell of perfume )As she lifted the letter, she caught the faintest hint of perfume.COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a sweet or pleasant smelladjectivessweetShe breathed in the sweet perfume of the roses.heady (=strong and sweet)In early summer, lilacs finally open and release their heady perfume.faintthe faint perfume of a spring woodlanddelicateThe flowers have a delicate perfume similar to cowslips.Examples from the Corpus
perfume• An overpowering smell of Freesia perfume hung around her like a cloud.• the rose's heady perfume• She always wears too much perfume.• The remembered odor of perfume and powder of woman came back, haunting her, filling her.• She stood with Paul for a while enjoying the invisible reality of perfume.• There are plenty of fragrant roses available, too numerous to mention individually and including many old varieties with ravishing perfumes.• Not only does the technique have potential in the perfume industry, but it may provide clues about how we perceive smells.• Was this the perfume that an inquisitive cleaner had detected on Rodney Shergold's jacket?• The perfume of the rose means nothing unless man can appreciate its scent.perfumeper‧fume2 /ˈpɜːfjuːm $ pərˈfjuːm/ verb [transitive] 1 literaryCO to make a place have a sweet pleasant smell Lilacs perfumed the air.2 DCBto put perfume on something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
perfume• The room was warm and perfumed.• He told the barber he wanted to be perfumed and powdered.• Reed had the sewer walls perfumed and used a stand-in when possible.• The sweet scent of sagebrush perfumed the air.Origin perfume1 (1500-1600) French parfum, probably from Old Provençal perfumar “to perfume”, from Latin fumare “to smoke” 