1
: to emit a strong offensive odor
stank of urine
2
: to be offensive
the election stank of corruption
also
: to be in bad repute
3
: to possess something to an offensive degree
stinking with wealth
4
: to be extremely bad or unpleasant
the performance stank
that news really stinks
Examples of stink in a Sentence
Verb
The food is good at that restaurant, but the service stinks.
Having a root canal stinks.
Noun
People raised a stink about the new law.
He kicked up a stink about the way he'd been treated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2025
Which stinks, because Grant was building, going from 13 to 16 to 20 wins his first three seasons … before plummeting back to earth this year.
—Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Zach Schonfeld, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
When dirty, odor-emitting clothes are left on the floor or in the hamper for days on end, their stink will spread throughout your closet.
—Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stink
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Verb
But for a movie about stinking, bloated corpses, on the whole, this one is surprisingly fresh.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2025
Which stinks, because Grant was building, going from 13 to 16 to 20 wins his first three seasons … before plummeting back to earth this year.
—Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Noun
When Cher eventually won the trophy, her Best Actress competition Sally Kirkland (second row, seventh from right), who’s rocking a fuschia get-up, would notoriously be caught on-camera making a stink face at the envelope reveal, perhaps given high hopes by her surprise Golden Globe win for Anna.
—Zach Schonfeld, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
When dirty, odor-emitting clothes are left on the floor or in the hamper for days on end, their stink will spread throughout your closet.
—Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stink
Cite this Entry
“Stink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stink. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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