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
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
They are the actions of a spoiled brat trying, and failing, to cover up the stench of losing.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Further on, the stench of varnish from an outhouse is overpowering.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
After the smoke subsided, residents reported feeling effects from the stench of rotting meat and food from the warehouse interior, where it had been stored frozen on tall racks that were hundreds of feet across.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
This is the stench that hampered Hong’s campaign.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
The jar was already re-closed, but the stench lingered.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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
At the heart of both stenches was the same culprit: hydrogen sulfide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2021
Bile and sulfur and all the fetid organic stenches we fight all our lives to keep at bay.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
