the stench of rotting meat
we finally discovered the dead rat that was causing the stench in the basement
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Yet Darnold’s final two games with the Vikings — especially his rocky effort in their first-round playoff defeat to the Los Angeles Rams — left a stench that has endured throughout the offseason, even as Darnold signed a hefty free-agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks.—Michael Silver, New York Times, 19 June 2025 Officials reported finding cages of dead birds, a live cat and mice within the home, which also had a terrible stench.—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025 People who live near the Salton Sea, many of them farmworkers, have complained for years that the stench, which tends to emerge most strongly in August and September, can give them headaches, nausea and nosebleeds.—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025 The source of a mystery stench that has plagued Mount Dora residents and visitors for years may finally have been identified by consultants for the city and Lake County.—James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for stench
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English stenc; akin to Old English stincan to emit a smell — more at stink
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of stench was
before the 12th century
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