stench
Americannoun
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stenches
plural
-
an offensive smell or odor; stink.
-
a foul quality.
noun
Synonym Usage
See odor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of stench
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English stenc “odor (good or bad)”; akin to stink
Explanation
When you pass a dump, you might hold your nose and say, "Oh, I can't handle the stench." A stench is a bad smell. Stench can also be used metaphorically. If it is discovered that many members of a police force have been taking money from mob bosses so that they can continue their life of crime, a new chief may be brought in to remove the stench of corruption from the office. In either sense, stench is the kind of smell that takes work to get rid of.
Vocabulary lists containing stench
The Nose Knows: Olfactory Vocabulary
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Inside Out & Back Again
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The stench has a habit of sticking to her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The stench is similar to what residents in Boyle Heights have said they’ve endured for more than two months after a fire broke out in the massive cold-storage warehouse in June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
They are the actions of a spoiled brat trying, and failing, to cover up the stench of losing.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
But as we approach the toilets near the school gate, a stench greets me.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Every time they had passed in the hall, she had tensed visibly, wrinkling her nose as though he’d carried a terrible stench with him.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
People living in a County Down beauty spot have "had enough" of industrial stenches coming from Warrenpoint Port, campaigners have said.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2025
But Danovich hoped to avoid supporting hatcheries and breeding barns, with their bright lights, noxious stenches and short lifespans for residents.
From Salon ● May 10, 2023
“Surely those negatives existed in Calcutta. But amidst the fetid stenches of Indian urban decay, I mainly recall the strong aroma of exotic spices.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 17, 2022
The residents described strong stenches that made them gag, vomit, and lock themselves indoors.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 27, 2019
“The scent of godhood lies in the burdens that hover above you. Pungent and powerful stenches they are,” he said.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
