stench
Americannoun
-
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 of raw sewage and uncollected rubbish is heavy in the air, but residents appear used to it.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Fragrance and stench became shorthand for clean and unclean, respectable and disreputable, “us” and “them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
A fetid stench remained in the neighborhood, and several residents reported feeling nausea and itchy throats and eyes weeks after the fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
"But the debris is still knee-high and there is a stench in many places," said Ayushman Kuinkel, a rescuer from the Nepal Scouts youth group.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
The gagging stench of molasses rushed up Carmen’s nose and down her throat, deep into her guts.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
