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
Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Here's why that stinks... in more ways than one Cupcakes, pink fridge and Dolly Parton: The inside of this Beech Grove home floors viewers
This isn’t the first time Brown has made headlines following a campaign event.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stink 
Verb
Direct File is visible proof that government websites don’t have to stink.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Here's why that stinks... in more ways than one Cupcakes, pink fridge and Dolly Parton: The inside of this Beech Grove home floors viewers
This isn’t the first time Brown has made headlines following a campaign event.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 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 4 May. 2024.
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