the stench of rotting meat
we finally discovered the dead rat that was causing the stench in the basement
Recent Examples on the WebJust be forewarned: Although visitors never have to come face to face with raw sewage, there’s no escaping the stench of the Sewer Museum.
Museum of Magic
Museum of Magic | PARIS
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Travel through a thousand years of sleight of hand at the Museum of Magic.—Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 July 2024 The tugboat then sailed by Fort Carroll — an artificial island designed in the 19th century by Robert E. Lee of the Army Corps of Engineers, now abandoned and radiating a stench of bird guano — and then a day-cruise ship.—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2024 Biden and his team recognized the error instantly and wrongly bet that his intentions mattered more than the offense, that his reputation would overpower any stench of sloppiness.—Philip Elliott, TIME, 24 June 2024 Municipal workers in Mexico needed to spread quicklime over the dead fish that once swam in the Bustillos Lagoon to reduce the stench.—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 10 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for stench
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stench.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English stenc; akin to Old English stincan to emit a smell — more at stink
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of stench was
before the 12th century
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