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
Synonyms
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
Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
The guano in their colonies must smell pleasant, comforting, rather than the barnyard stink that hit my own nose.
—Blair Braverman, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Dec. 2024
Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
What the organization had in bulk was the stink of a horrific reputation well earned for over two decades.
—Ben Standig, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stink 
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Verb
The on field product stinks and the news off the field this season was just as awful.
—Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
The guano in their colonies must smell pleasant, comforting, rather than the barnyard stink that hit my own nose.
—Blair Braverman, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
This was my chance to not be an actor, not have that stink of being an actor, that egotistical, show-off, controlling, making choices, being clever part of being an actor.
—Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
What the organization had in bulk was the stink of a horrific reputation well earned for over two decades.
—Ben Standig, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stink
Dictionary Entries Near stink
Cite this Entry
“Stink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stink. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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