stinks 1 of 2

plural of stink

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

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 stinks
Verb
The Falcons have already taken a lot of hits on defense, and their quarterback stinks. — Vic Tafur, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 As the legislative session comes to a close over the next few days, Newsom is in the kitchen, stirring a foul chowder that stinks along the state’s entire 1,200-mile coast. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Now the skunk is saying somebody else stinks, though the smell does lead to Infantino and this FFE plan. — Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 With another championship in reach, the timing of MacFarland’s exit stinks. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 June 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
Noun
  • According to the report, the two commissioners questioned the legality of some of the decisions, but Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar disregarded their objections.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But such a decision may not be based on a school district’s objections to the ideas expressed in the books.
    — Susan Farrell, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • For example, one version of the chemical carvone smells like mint, while the other has a whiff of caraway, a spice often used in rye bread.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
  • How a room smells does as much heavy lifting as a house plant or a lacquer tray might.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Unfortunately, Jenna sucks at puzzles, and Christian (who the editors are still not allowing to talk) is great at them.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Aaliyah Puglia was the first person voted out of Survivor 51, which, frankly, sucks for her.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • But their complaints come as Lecornu's government seeks to rein in public spending to appease skittish bond markets, which have punished France more harshly than many of its peers this year, amid a global bond market rout.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Once on the road, the data could be used to detect issues and to improve the driving experience, without needing to wait for complaints or returns.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The meeting has fallen to roughly 15 minutes and is now largely about exceptions, problems and decisions.
    — Keith Ferrazzi, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Anthropic allows exceptions for certain government contracts when contractual restrictions and safeguards adequately mitigate potential harm.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stinks. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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