What does stink mean?
Stink is a direct and expressive English word for a strong unpleasant smell. As a noun, it names an odor that is offensive, lingering, or impossible to ignore; it can also describe a disreputable condition, as in "the stink of corruption." As a verb, stink means to give off a foul odor and can be used intransitively, as in "the fish stinks," or with "of," as in "the room stinks of smoke." Its figurative use is equally forceful: something that stinks is not merely disliked but often regarded as morally suspect, dishonest, or scandalously bad. This makes stink especially effective in political, social, and moral criticism. Compared with the more neutral smell, stink clearly conveys disapproval. Compared with the more literary stench, it sounds more conversational and emphatic. The word is common in British and American English and has a long history, descending from Old English.
A strong unpleasant smell; figuratively, a condition or reputation of being disreputable or widely disliked.
"There was a stink of old fish coming from the kitchen."
The noun is informal and can be strongly dismissive when used figuratively.
To give off an unpleasant smell; figuratively, to be offensive, objectionable, or disreputable.
"His refusal to apologize stinks of arrogance."
The verb is often used with "of" in its figurative sense: "stinks of corruption," "stinks of arrogance."
The plural is used for separate instances of unpleasant smells; "stinks" is also the third-person singular form of the verb.
"The stinks from the bins made everyone wrinkle their noses."
Old English already used the ancestor of stink for emitting a bad smell; its blunt Germanic relatives still carry that sense today.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stink come from?
The English word descends from Old English stincan, meaning "to emit a smell" or "to stink," and appears in Middle English in forms such as stinchen. It belongs to a Germanic family that includes Dutch stinken, German stinken, and Swedish stinka, all reflecting a Germanic word associated with the sense of smell. In English, stink developed a strongly unpleasant meaning and was also extended figuratively to describe things regarded as objectionable or disreputable.
Related word forms
How stink is actually used
Stink is informal and often blunt or dismissive, especially when used figuratively. The expression "stink of" is common in both British and American English, though the choice between "odor" and "odour" follows regional convention.
Easily confused with stink
Smell is neutral and can refer to any odor, while stink specifically suggests a strong unpleasant odor or something objectionable.
Stench is usually more formal or literary and often emphasizes a powerful, concentrated unpleasant smell, whereas stink is broader and more colloquial.