stank 1 of 2

noun

ˈstaŋk How to pronounce stank (audio)
Definition of stanknext
British dialect
as in puddle
a small often deep body of water the Scottish innkeeper advised swimming in the nearby stank only if the prospect of hypothermia seemed appealing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

stank

2 of 2

verb

variants or stunk
past tense of stink
1
as in reeked
to give off an extremely unpleasant smell the dog stinks because she tangled with a skunk again

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in sucked
to be objectionable or unsatisfactory their team really stinks this year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stank
Verb
Nikola Jokic stunk in Game 3 on Thursday in Minneapolis. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026 And after a decade without postseason play in town, few fans have been brave enough to suggest the team should have intentionally stunk again instead. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 2026 Younger players either watched or didn’t improve as the Raiders stunk on ice. — Vic Tafur, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026 Dolphins have stunk lately in weather like this. — Greg Cote january 1, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stank
  1. puddle
  2. reeked
  3. sucked
  4. pool
  5. smelled
Noun
  • By mid-morning, deep puddles still dotted the miles long pathway.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Rheinstädter is using the Planet Simulator to figure out how to get those puddle parts to complexify themselves and, in particular, assemble into RNA.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of puddle
Verb
  • The main barn had collapsed, the lodge reeked of pack rats, garter snakes had claimed another building, and one of the cabins was leaning downhill.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The Mystic of my childhood, though, had a modicum of edge — kids with anarchy symbols on their jackets skateboarded outside a coffee shop that reeked of weed, and locals got rowdy at a dysfunctional watering hole called the Draw Bridge Inne.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
Definition of reeked
Verb
  • Look, these schools and teams sucked the fun out of sports with their BLM rallies on Instagram and lectures on Facebook and in the media.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The authors posit that people from that period sucked on betel nuts to relieve tooth pain, given that these populations are known to have had bad teeth and arecoline is a natural analgesic.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of sucked
Noun
  • At the pool and beachside, reusable glass bottles are provided upon request in buckets of ice, free of charge.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Take, for instance, the free-form rooftop pool which is shaded by native trees and blossoming plants and is the perfect spot to cool off from Thailand’s no-joke humidity.
    — Condé Nast, cntraveler.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pool
Verb
  • In my early memories, my grandfather had smelled like carpet cleaner.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • For Dylan Feierabend, there are few things more life-affirming than fishing for redtail surfperch and smelt at Centerville Beach in rural Humboldt County.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of smelled

Browse Nearby Words

stanhopes
stank
stanks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stank. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of discreet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All