as in stink
a strong unpleasant smell
we finally discovered the dead rat that was causing the stench in the basement
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Recent Examples of stench
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stench
Noun
-
While there is no way of knowing conclusively that the person's feet were causing a stink, the removal of all footwear in midair is something that tends to be frowned upon.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 July 2025
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Rightly making a stink are Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessie Tisch and the NYPD’s Gay Officers Action League, led by Detective Brian Downey.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
The belongings Regan brought with her from her home reek of smoke, and while her neighborhood escaped the fire relatively unscathed, it is surrounded by ones that were burned to the ground.—
Sasha Hupka,
USA TODAY,
23 Jan. 2025
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The whole enterprise reeks of Marvel-itis with its endless callbacks.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stench. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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