the stench of rotting meat we finally discovered the dead rat that was causing the stench in the basement
Recent Examples on the WebThe stench of politics was in the air throughout the festival, partly thanks to a garbage collectors’ strike in Edinburgh prompted by a dispute with the local council, which meant the city was overflowing with literal trash. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 26 Aug. 2022 In every direction, there were needles in arms and butane lighters melting chunks of fentanyl, heroin and meth — the stench of burning chemicals was unavoidable.Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2022 That stench of old seafood or the fetid smell of rotting meat are foul, to be sure. Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2022 The show’s first five episodes (of its eight) are a powerful crescendo of agony, as depicted both in shots in which heat and stench seem to come through the television and in contemporaneous news footage, still jarring and heartbreaking years later. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022 For a city that has long struggled with a variety of air quality nuisances — including acrid odors from refineries and the putrid stench of decaying bacteria in the Dominguez Channel — the prospect of additional air testing was greeted warmly. Tony Briscoestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2022 These days, however, the stench from the box is getting harder to ignore. Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 25 July 2022 Greek firefighters sent to the scene of the crash Saturday night were unable to access the area because of the thick plumes of smoke and an acrid stench that authorities feared could be toxic. Niki Kitsantonis, BostonGlobe.com, 17 July 2022 Greek firefighters sent to the scene of the crash on Saturday night were unable to access the area because of the thick plumes of smoke and an acrid stench that the authorities feared could be toxic.New York Times, 17 July 2022 See More
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