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
Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2024
But there is something about the plea deal that really stinks to me.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 31 May 2024
Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 May 2024
By the end, there was an all-purpose stink in the theater.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stink 
Verb
Good for a while, then awful, getting swept by the stinking Rockies at home, where the Padres continue to stink it out.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2024
But there is something about the plea deal that really stinks to me.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 31 May 2024
Noun
Porsche likes to make a big stink about the fact that Ferdinand Porsche developed the world’s first hybrid drive car, the Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, around 125 years ago.
—Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 May 2024
By the end, there was an all-purpose stink in the theater.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stink
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stink
Cite this Entry
“Stink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stink. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share