From Middle English stinken, from Old English stincan, from Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ-, *stegʷ- (“to push, thrust, strike”). Cognate with West Frisian stjonke (“to stink”), Dutch stinken (“to stink”), German stinken (“to stink”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk stinke (“to stink”), Swedish stinka (“to stink”), Icelandic stökkva (“to spring, leap, jump”).
Compare typologically Russian рази́ть (razítʹ).
Meanings
(New-Zealand, slang) Bad; inferior; worthless.
The concert was stink. / That was a stink concert.
2016, Kei Miller, Augustown, New York: Pantheon, Chapter 1, p. 5,
[…] what Ma Taffy smells on this early afternoon makes her sit up straight. She smells it high and ripe and stink on the air, like a bright green jackfruit in season being pulled to the rocky ground below.
2013, Stabroek News, 19 February 2013, cited by Deborah Jan Osman Backer in a speech delivered in the National Assembly during the Budget Debate, 2013,
Everyone is up in arms but it smells stink because it smells of racism…
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:
From Middle English stinken, from Old English stincan, from Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ-, *stegʷ- (“to push, thrust, strike”). Cognate with West Frisian stjonke (“to stink”), Dutch stinken (“to stink”), German stinken (“to stink”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk stinke (“to stink”), Swedish stinka (“to stink”), Icelandic stökkva (“to spring, leap, jump”).
Compare typologically Russian рази́ть (razítʹ).
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) A strong bad smell.
“I’m thankful for this beautiful morning!” He points toward the sky. “See that sunrise? Smell that air—” / “That’s stink from the rendering plant.” 2011, Jonathan Friesen, chapter 6, in The Last Martin, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zonderkidz, →ISBN, page 65:
(countable, informal, uncountable) A 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".
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stinks
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Synonyms
pong (strong bad smell) · fetor (strong bad smell) · odour (strong bad smell) · smell (strong bad smell) · stench (strong bad smell) · reek (strong bad smell) · odor (strong bad smell)
Translations (49)
fi löyhkä (strong bad smell) · grc βρῶμος (strong bad smell) · crh sasıq (strong bad smell) · pl smród (strong bad smell) · la foetor (strong bad smell) · fr puanteur (strong bad smell) · fi haju (strong bad smell) · hu patália (informal: complaint or objection) · ro putoare (strong bad smell) · it protesta (informal: complaint or objection) · rup putoari (strong bad smell) · nn stank (strong bad smell) · kk сасық (strong bad smell) · te కంపు (strong bad smell) · hu bűz (strong bad smell) · la paedor (strong bad smell) · el μπόχα (strong bad smell) · pdt Jestank (strong bad smell) · ml ദുർഗന്ധം (strong bad smell) · gl tufo (strong bad smell) · cs smrad (strong bad smell) · mi hīrearea (strong bad smell) · ja 悪臭 (strong bad smell) · bg химия (slang: chemistry) · nl stank (strong bad smell) · hu balhé (informal: complaint or objection) · nb stank (strong bad smell) · pt fetidez (strong bad smell) · lt smarvė (strong bad smell) · hu botrány (informal: complaint or objection) · gl fedor (strong bad smell) · scn fetu (strong bad smell) · vo lusmel (strong bad smell) · eu kirats (strong bad smell) · bg воня (strong bad smell) · de Gestank (strong bad smell) · ml നാറ്റം (strong bad smell) · ru вонь (strong bad smell) · grc δυσωδία (strong bad smell) · it reclamo (informal: complaint or objection) · pt fedor (strong bad smell) · sv stank (strong bad smell) · it puzza (strong bad smell) · evn ӈо̄ (strong bad smell) · pl odór (strong bad smell) · ca pudor (strong bad smell) · fr tapage (informal: complaint or objection) · it fetore (strong bad smell) · grc δυσοσμία (strong bad smell)
From Middle English stinken, from Old English stincan, from Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ-, *stegʷ- (“to push, thrust, strike”). Cognate with West Frisian stjonke (“to stink”), Dutch stinken (“to stink”), German stinken (“to stink”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk stinke (“to stink”), Swedish stinka (“to stink”), Icelandic stökkva (“to spring, leap, jump”).
Compare typologically Russian рази́ть (razítʹ).
Meanings
(intransitive) To have a strong bad smell.
(informal, intransitive, stative) To be greatly inferior; to perform badly.
They gave me Out of Africa, by Isak Dinesen. I thought it was going to stink, but it didn't. It was a very good book. 1951 July 16, J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 24:
That movie stinks. I didn't even stay for the end.
My French stinks, Langdon thought, but my zodiac iconography is pretty good. Taurus was always the bull. Astrology was a symbolic constant all over the world. 2003, Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, Doubleday, →ISBN, page 19:
Improve your golf swing by taking your mate to the driving range. If you're good, you can show off and give her some tips. If you stink, play it for laughs. 2008 January–February, “70 Ways to Improve Every Day of the Week”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 135:
(intransitive) To give an impression of dishonesty, untruth, or sin.
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:
Something stinks about the politician's excuses.
(transitive) To cause to stink; to affect by a stink.
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stunk
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
stunk
Tense=Past
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stinks
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
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stank
Tense=Past
lexicographic
stinking
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
Synonyms
be fishy (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · pong (have a strong bad smell) · reek (have a strong bad smell) · suck (be greatly inferior) · blow (be greatly inferior)
Translations (143)
oj maazhimaagwad (have a strong bad smell) · hi गंधाना (have a strong bad smell) · cs zapáchat (have a strong bad smell) · haw hauna (have a strong bad smell) · cic kosoma (have a strong bad smell) · gl gafar (have a strong bad smell) · qu asnay (have a strong bad smell) · ml നാറുക (have a strong bad smell) · is þefja (have a strong bad smell) · ar نَتُنَ (have a strong bad smell) · fr empester (have a strong bad smell) · ja 悪臭を放つ (have a strong bad smell) · fi haista (have a strong bad smell) · oc pudir (have a strong bad smell) · de stinken (have a strong bad smell) · es carcavinar (have a strong bad smell) · oj maazhimaagozi (have a strong bad smell) · qu hunyay (have a strong bad smell) · ru смерде́ть (have a strong bad smell) · it puzzare (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · es heder (have a strong bad smell) · es cantar (have a strong bad smell) · nl stinken (have a strong bad smell) · lo ເໝັນ (have a strong bad smell) · nl stinken (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · my နံ (have a strong bad smell) · gl alcatrear (have a strong bad smell) · cs smrdět (have a strong bad smell) · ru воня́ть (have a strong bad smell) · ta நாறு (have a strong bad smell) · ka ყარს (have a strong bad smell) · es jeder (have a strong bad smell) · km ស្អុយ (have a strong bad smell) · crh sasımaq (have a strong bad smell) · rup mput (roa-rup) (have a strong bad smell) · gl abafar (have a strong bad smell) · fr puer (have a strong bad smell) · sl smrdeti (have a strong bad smell) · ca pudir (have a strong bad smell) · nap fete (have a strong bad smell) · mww tsw phem (have a strong bad smell) · hu szar (informal: be greatly inferior) · de müffeln (have a strong bad smell) · uk смерді́ти (have a strong bad smell) · hu pocsék (informal: be greatly inferior) · hu vacak (informal: be greatly inferior) · ja 臭い (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · izh lemissä haissa (have a strong bad smell) · th เหม็น (have a strong bad smell) · ml ദുർഗന്ധം വമിക്കുക (have a strong bad smell) · es corromper (have a strong bad smell) · cy drewi (have a strong bad smell) · cmn 發臭味 /发臭味 (have a strong bad smell) · ja 臭う (have a strong bad smell) · sa पूयति (have a strong bad smell) · sco ming (have a strong bad smell) · bg воня (have a strong bad smell) · yi שטינקען (have a strong bad smell) · sv stinka (have a strong bad smell) · es apestar (have a strong bad smell) · gl feder (have a strong bad smell) · es pudir (have a strong bad smell) · grc βρωμέω (have a strong bad smell) · it puzzare (have a strong bad smell) · sw nuka (have a strong bad smell) · el βρομάω (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · eo fetori (have a strong bad smell) · hu csapnivaló (informal: be greatly inferior) · de stinken (informal: be greatly inferior) · gl fedechar (have a strong bad smell) · el μυρίζω (have a strong bad smell) · ru веять (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · it fare schifo (informal: be greatly inferior) · fi haista (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · gl cheirar (have a strong bad smell) · pl trącić (have a strong bad smell) · kk сасу (have a strong bad smell) · pl śmierdzieć (have a strong bad smell) · pl śmierdzieć (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · pl capić (have a strong bad smell) · bg смърдя́ (have a strong bad smell) · cmn 發臭 /发臭 (have a strong bad smell) · cmn 發惡臭 /发恶臭 (have a strong bad smell) · pl jechać (have a strong bad smell) · la foeteō (have a strong bad smell) · grc ὄζω (have a strong bad smell) · gl imbrar (have a strong bad smell) · cs páchnout (have a strong bad smell) · de stinken (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · lt smirdėti (have a strong bad smell) · pt feder (have a strong bad smell) · vi thối (have a strong bad smell) · ext cheral (have a strong bad smell) · da stinke (have a strong bad smell) · sh smrditi (have a strong bad smell) · sk páchnuť (have a strong bad smell) · he הִסְרִיחַ (have a strong bad smell) · pl jebać (vulg.) (have a strong bad smell) · rup amput (roa-rup) (have a strong bad smell) · hu bűzlik (have a strong bad smell) · vi bốc mùi thối (have a strong bad smell) · cic shoha (have a strong bad smell) · es atufar (have a strong bad smell) · qu asyai (have a strong bad smell) · ko 악취를 풍기다 (have a strong bad smell) · sv stinka (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · vi bay mùi thối (have a strong bad smell) · vo lusmelön (have a strong bad smell) · rup mputsãscu (roa-rup) (have a strong bad smell) · mk смрди (have a strong bad smell) · es jier (have a strong bad smell) · ja くだらない (informal: be greatly inferior) · sk smrdieť (have a strong bad smell) · be смярдзе́ць (have a strong bad smell) · ru нести за версту (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · ms busuk (have a strong bad smell) · ar نَتِنَ (have a strong bad smell) · de riechen (have a strong bad smell) · srn tingi (have a strong bad smell) · svs boto (have a strong bad smell) · lo ເຫມັນ (have a strong bad smell) · hu bűzlik (give an impression of dishonesty or untruth) · hu ócska (informal: be greatly inferior) · es empestar (have a strong bad smell) · pt tresandar (have a strong bad smell) · te దుర్గంధము (have a strong bad smell) · ro puți (have a strong bad smell) · sv vara urusel (informal: be greatly inferior) · qu asnai (have a strong bad smell) · pl walić (have a strong bad smell) · hu büdös (have a strong bad smell) · lv smirdēt (have a strong bad smell) · lut ʔihəl (have a strong bad smell) · el βρομάω (have a strong bad smell) · eo malbonodori (have a strong bad smell) · es apestar (informal: be greatly inferior) · ru ду́рно па́хнуть (have a strong bad smell) · scn fetiri (have a strong bad smell) · hrx stinke (have a strong bad smell) · fi haista (informal: be greatly inferior) · sh смрдити (have a strong bad smell) · pl cuchnąć (have a strong bad smell) · es oler mal (have a strong bad smell)