How to use stink in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun, adjective

Stink means to have a strong bad smell. Example: “That movie stinks. I didn't even stay for the end.”

Examples of stink by meaning

verbTo be greatly inferior; to perform badly.

That movie stinks. I didn't even stay for the end.
I thought it was going to stink, but it didn't.1951 July 16, J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 24
My French stinks, Langdon thought, but my zodiac iconography is pretty good.2003, Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, Doubleday, →ISBN, page 19

verbTo give an impression of dishonesty, untruth, or sin.

Something stinks about the politician's excuses.
The parish stank of idolatry, abominable rites were practiced in secret, and in all the bounds there was no one had a more evil name for the black traffic than one Alison Sempill, who bode at the Skerburnfoot.1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide

nounA complaint or objection.

If you don't make a stink about the problem, nothing will be done.
She's made a big stink about me calling her "Miss", not "Ms".

adjectiveBad-smelling, stinky.

Spending hours in a “stink" morgue, being called “Taliban”, thinking of getting shot in the head by officers—memories of Venezuela that have left Hamza Mohammed, imam of the Montrose mosque, still trembling today.2014 May 26, Taureef Mohammed, “Imam recounts 55-day Venezuelan horror”, in Trinidad and Tobago Guardian

More sentences with stink

If nothing happens when you ask nicely, make a stink until something gets done.From the entry make a stink
If nothing happens when you ask nicely, raise a stink until something gets done.From the entry raise a stink
I have to find a nonseasonal job: being out of work after three months just stinks.From the entry nonseasonal
Bi Gow, it stinks enuff to mek thee gip does that!From the entry gip
I just saw about a jizillion stink bugs outside, it must be a convention.From the entry jizillion
A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk that the skunk stunk.From the entry thunk
"Pee-yew, you stink!" said Judy, plugging her nostrils.From the entry pee-yew
You stink of too much cologne.From the entry cologne
You shudder as cramps force another hot, wet rush of muck into your diaper, refreshing the stink.2025 October 9, @birdmom.bsky.social, Bluesky. From the entry hose suit
Stink sighed and handed Judy a piece of paper and a pair of left-handed scissors.2018, Megan McDonald, Not-So-Lucky Lefty (Judy Moody and Friends), Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, →ISBN. From the entry easy peasy mac and cheesy
"Stink eye" is a Hawaiian pidgin expression for a disapproving glance, a mean or dirty look.2015, John H. Elliot, Beware the Evil Eye Volume 1, page 24. From the entry stink eye
Stink bean pod is regarded as waste material during the processing of commercial preserved stink bean seed.2014, Suchanuch Wonghirundecha, Soottawat Benjakul, Punnanee Sumpavapo, “Total phenolic content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities…. From the entry stink bean
The corridor stinks of sweat and cigarette smoke, and I daringly open the window a little.2013, Margaret Leroy, The English Girl, →ISBN. From the entry fresh
There are also observations in the Talmud that, e.g., tanners stink.2011 May 31, Yisroel Markov, “Leftwing anti-semitism”, in soc.culture.jewish.moderated (Usenet). From the entry tahor
Stink listened to everything she said as jolly Christmas songs played incongruously in the background.2009 October 29, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Mr Stink, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN. From the entry incongruously
Stink smiled, before letting the last sludge of his volcanic gloop slip down his throat.2009 October 29, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Mr Stink, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN. From the entry gloop
Miss Mae gave me the stink eye, just on general principle, when I came into the kitchen.2008, Michael Harmon, The Last Exit to Normal, page 35. From the entry stink eye
A steaming spray that stunk worse than burning rubber shot into the air.2006, J. C. Greenburg, Andrew Lost in the Garbage, 1st edition, Random House Children's Books, →ISBN, page 64. From the entry gack
The first sign of it is usually a horrible stink like rotten meat.2006 October 21, Peter Marren, “Day of the fungi”, in The Daily Telegraph, page 15. From the entry devil's fingers
I toothbrushed the stale rum stink from my mouth and stared at myself in the cabinet mirror.2004, Iceberg Slim, Trick Baby. From the entry toothbrush
Is there something dead around here that has not yet begun to stink?1993, John Banville, Ghosts. From the entry blowfly
Before you know it, there's such a big stink that it's smeared all over the newspapers.1987, Sholem Aleichem [pseudonym; Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich], “[The Railway Stories] The Man from Buenos Aires”, in Hillel Halkin…. From the entry cook someone's goose
In summary, I think that the waterfront situation "stinks like a mackerel in the hot sunlight."1965, Fleet Owner - Volume 60, page 8. From the entry stink like a mackerel
I also wear my underwear until it stinks and becomes very dirty.1936, Magnus Hirschfeld, Sexual Anomalies and Perversions: Physical and Psychological Development and Treatment, page 431. From the entry mysophile
Nevertheless, stink beans remain popular as a form of delicacy among Southeast Asians whether they are eaten cooked or raw.2020, Yoong-Kong How, Lee-Fong Siow, “Effects of convection-, vacuum- and freeze-drying on antioxidant, physicochemical properties…. From the entry stink bean
“You know I'm endorsing a new line?” “I can tell with your extra snatched waist.” I gave her the stink eye.2016, Mia Black, His Dirty Secret 2: Charmaine's Story, Mahogany Publications. From the entry snatched
I'm full on Dorianmancer, but I like to think my Inquisitor gives Bull the suspicious stink eye when they're out adventuring.2015 March 27, craccy, Reddit. From the entry Dorianmancer
The sharp stink of it pervaded the room.2013 November 27, Joyce Wadler, “Bad Thanksgiving”, in New York Times, retrieved 26 Jul 2015. From the entry move one's bowels
After three days, you start to stink. -- but after three decades of Hosni Mubarak, the stench has become unbearable.2011 January 30, Sherry Jones, “Opinion: What I Saw In Egypt”, in AOL News, archived from the original on 30 Jan 2011. From the entry you know what they say
That argument stinks like a mackerel in the moonlight!2010, David Crump, The Holding Company. From the entry stink like a mackerel
Stink had purloined during his career as a gentleman thief?2009 October 29, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Mr Stink, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN. From the entry purloin
Yanking open the door to the bathroom, I was greeted with a stink foul enough to curl my hair.2008, Jackie Kessler, Hell's Belles, →ISBN, page 317. From the entry curl someone's hair

Meaning of stink

verb To have a strong bad smell.
verb To be greatly inferior; to perform badly.
verb To give an impression of dishonesty, untruth, or sin.

Full definition of stink

Questions about stink in a sentence

How do you use stink in a sentence?: Stink is used as a verb, noun and adjective. For example: “That movie stinks. I didn't even stay for the end.”
What is a short sentence with stink?: “Something stinks about the politician's excuses.”
What does stink mean?: Stink means to have a strong bad smell.

Adapted from Wiktionary: stink (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use stink in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/stink. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.