stinks 1 of 2

noun

plural of stink
as in objections
a feeling or declaration of disapproval or dissent many town residents raised an unholy stink about the proposal to increase taxes yet again

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stinks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stink
1
as in smells
to give off an extremely unpleasant smell the dog stinks because she tangled with a skunk again

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

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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 stinks
Verb
Now the skunk is saying somebody else stinks, though the smell does lead to Infantino and this FFE plan. — Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 Her stats are decent, but her attitude stinks. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 With another championship in reach, the timing of MacFarland’s exit stinks. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 June 2026 And the reality stinks for Cleveland right now. — Joe Vardon, New York Times, 24 May 2026 If someone stinks and has options, send him back to the minors. — John Shipley, Twin Cities, 22 May 2026 His eyes are healthy, although his vision stinks. — Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026 Glowicki stars as a lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stinks
  1. objections
  2. smells
  3. sucks
  4. complaints
  5. exceptions
Noun
  • His larger warning is about what happens when odor objections succeed in blocking reform altogether.
    — Peter Su, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In response, Apple has reportedly been testing memory chips from China’s CXMT, an approach that could raise objections from the White House if Apple decided to move forward.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of objections
Verb
  • No doubt that every time Harry smells a Diptyque candle around the house, memories of his late mother flood back.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The menu at Casa Marcial is inspired by the sensations, feelings, tastes, and smells that defined Manzano’s childhood in the Asturian hills.
    — Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of smells
Verb
  • Our latest reminder of just how much everything sucks right now comes from BMW (by way of @metav3rse on Instagram).
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Though wildfires are often associated with the West Coast’s dry summers, climate change is putting more and more places at risk of wildfires as increasingly hot air sucks moisture from forests.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of sucks
Noun
  • The city says there was a large increase in complaints in May, likely due to the end of the school year.
    — Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • By doing it this way, the kids had to put some thought into which items meant the most to them, and there were no complaints afterward.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of complaints
Noun
  • The Constitution protects defendants from being prosecuted for the same crime twice, but Mangione's dueling state and federal cases fall into one of the exceptions for double jeopardy.
    — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The London Diamond League sells out 60,000 each year and Jamaica’s school championships always brings tens of thousands to Kingston, the two standout events and current exceptions to the rule.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of exceptions

Browse Nearby Words

stinkpots
stinks
stinks up
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Cite this Entry

“Stinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stinks. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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