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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
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
  1. objections
  2. smells
  3. sucks
  4. complaints
  5. exceptions
Noun
  • The stadium tries to be a good neighbor, despite some objections.
    — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The film internalizes potential objections about a foreign director making a film that claims insight into Japanese characters’ interiority, with Carter being ritualistically insulted as a gaijin, or outsider.
    — Vadim Rizov, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of objections
Verb
  • Unsuspecting shoppers inevitably will be lured by the delicious smells — and perhaps find their new favorite food court vendor.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Foul smells, texture changes, or mold are signs that food is spoiled and should be discarded.
    — Julie Marks, Verywell Health, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of smells
Verb
  • Each review sucks rhythm and emotion out of an intensely rhythmic and emotional sport.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • My main piece of evidence for this is that apparently the food in the silo sucks.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of sucks
Noun
  • An aldermanic office should know which streets generate recurring complaints, whether resurfacing is needed and how those streets are being prioritized for capital improvements.
    — Vince Fattore, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Ambulances won’t come to the neighborhood anymore, and the city doesn’t respond to complaints about the polluted water for days, maybe weeks.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of complaints
Noun
  • With its golf ambassadors, Peter Millar still tends to focus on promoting its golfwear — with a few exceptions, such as an event in the Hamptons last year with Cameron Young where the PGA Tour pro showed up dressed in the brand’s lifestyle product.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • After October 19, if that problem falls under one of the new exceptions, those benefits will no longer be legally protected—but airlines can still choose to provide them.
    — Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2026.

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