stink

[ stingk ]

/ stɪŋk /

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See synonyms for: stink / stank / stinking / stinks on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), stank

[stangk] /stæŋk/ or, often, stunk

[stuhngk]; /stʌŋk/; stunk; stink·ing.

to emit a strong offensive smell.

to be offensive to honesty or propriety; to be in extremely bad repute or disfavor.

Informal. to be disgustingly inferior: That book stinks.

Slang. to have a large quantity of something (usually followed by of or with): They stink of money. She stinks with jewelry.

verb (used with object), stank

[stangk] /stæŋk/ or, often, stunk

[stuhngk]; /stʌŋk/; stunk; stink·ing.

to cause to stink or be otherwise offensive (often followed by up): an amateurish performance that really stank up the stage.

noun

a strong offensive smell; stench.

Informal. an unpleasant fuss; scandal: There was a big stink about his accepting a bribe.

stinks, (used with a singular verb)British Slang. chemistry as a course of study.

Verb Phrases

stink out, to repel or drive out by means of a highly offensive smell.

OTHER WORDS FOR stink

1 reek.

See synonyms for stink on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stink

First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English stinken, Old English stincan; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the verb; cognate with German stinken (verb); cf. stench

OTHER WORDS FROM stink

outstink, verb (used with object), out·stank or, often, out·stunk; out·stunk; out·stink·ing.

Words nearby stink

stinging tree, stingless bee, stingo, stingray, stingy, stink, stinkard, stinkaroo, stinkball, stink bomb, stink bug

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stink in a sentence

Thus, an Egyptian pharaoh’s first duty was to erase the social and physical stink of isfet and institute the sweet smell of ma’at, Goldsmith contends.
Ancient ‘smellscapes’ are wafting out of artifacts and old texts|Bruce Bower|May 4, 2022|Science News
This never worked quite right—we’re all familiar with the public bathroom aroma of powerfully perfumed cleaning agents trying to overpower an undertone of residual stink.
Smell better with these stink-proof tips|Hugh Neill|September 16, 2021|Popular-Science
Apocrine glands become active at puberty and are primarily responsible for turning armpits into stink zones from adolescence onward.
What Your Body Odor Says About You|Sarah Everts|July 21, 2021|Time
Extended stays in a damp petri-dish pile of clothes, not the initial exposure to sweat on your ride, is what leads to persistent stink over time.
How to Clean Your Cycling Gear|agintzler|July 17, 2021|Outside Online

People first gave me the stink eye in London as I was American, but I got more of that in Puerto Rico from expat Americans.
How to Suck Less at … Starting a Theater Company|Eugene Robinson|March 22, 2021|Ozy
And yet, this will be the media frame: “Obama throws stink bomb.”
For Obama, Hell Week Has Arrived|Michael Tomasky|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Shortly after his confession, Vision Forum Ministries closed up shop, unable to continue with the stink of sex scandal upon them.
Sex Scandal Rocks the Duggars’ Christian Patriarchy Movement|Amanda Marcotte|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hilton danced in a corner by herself while her then-boyfriend, shipping heir Stavros Niarchos, gave her the stink eye.
Sundance ’14 Party Report: Anne Hathaway’s A Great Wingwoman, Kristen Stewart Cuts A Rug, and More|Marlow Stern|January 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As you get older, the more you think, the more you stink, really.
The Haunted Stage: Conor McPherson on His Plays|Ronald K. Fried|January 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Intellectual shut-ins are a dime a dozen these days, and they all stink just as bad as the next one.
Paul Krugman’s Nasty and Inane Attack on ‘Libertarian Populism’|Nick Gillespie|July 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Their slain shall be cast forth, and out of their carcasses shall rise a stink: the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Alan would take the spinning pass and bound forward into the stink-stained Modern juniors or embryo subalterns of Army C.
Sinister Street, vol. 1|Compton Mackenzie
Get the stink blown off you—forget some terrible things that had happened to you.
The Planet Strappers|Raymond Zinke Gallun
Fresh fish and unwelcome friends stink before they're three days auld.
The Proverbs of Scotland|Alexander Hislop
Proverb: When fish has gone bad ten thousand decent men can't take away the stink.
The Title|Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for stink

stink

/ (stɪŋk) /

noun

a strong foul smell; stench

slang a great deal of trouble (esp in the phrase to make or raise a stink)

like stink intensely; furiously

verb stinks, stinking, stank, stunk or stunk (mainly intr)

to emit a foul smell

slang to be thoroughly bad or abhorrentthis town stinks

informal to have a very bad reputationhis name stinks

to be of poor quality

(foll by of or with) slang to have or appear to have an excessive amount (of money)

(tr usually foll by up) informal to cause to stink

Word Origin for stink

Old English stincan; related to Old Saxon stinkan, German stinken, Old Norse stökkva to burst; see stench

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with stink

stink

In addition to the idiom beginning with stink

stink to high heaven

also see:

big stink
make a stink
smell (stink) up

stink

OTHER WORDS FOR stink

Origin of stink

OTHER WORDS FROM stink

Words nearby stink

Words related to stink

How to use stink in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stink

Word Origin for stink

Other Idioms and Phrases with stink