Irregular verbs  Regular verbs

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stink, stinks, stinking, stunk, stank

Synonyms: reek, smell bad, pong, have an odor, be foul

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Antonyms: smell good, be fragrant, perfume, purify, deodorize

The Verb Stink – Definition, Usage, and Clarification


The verb stink is an irregular verb that means to have a very strong and unpleasant smell. In informal slang, it also means to be of very poor quality or to be an unpleasant situation.


VERB FORMS


■ Base Form: stink
■ Past Simple: stank (or stunk)
■ Past Participle: stunk
■ Present Participle/Gerund: stinking


USAGE AND CONTEXT


'Stink' is a strong, direct verb for bad smells and negative opinions.


1. Having a Bad Smell
This is its literal meaning.


■ Odor: 'You should take out the garbage, it's starting to stink.'
■ Description: 'The whole room stank of stale smoke.'


2. Being of Poor Quality (Slang)
This is a very common informal use to express strong disapproval.


■ Opinion: 'I saw that new movie, and it stinks.'
■ Situation: 'He lost his wallet and missed his flight. His whole day stinks.'


ℹ IMPORTANT: 'STANK' VS. 'STUNK'


The use of the past forms is a common point of confusion.


■ Past Tense (Simple Past): Traditionally and in formal writing, the correct simple past tense is stank.
■ Correct: 'The food went bad and stank.'


■ Past Participle: The correct past participle (used with 'have,' 'has,' 'had') is stunk.
■ Correct: 'The food has stunk for days.'


■ Modern Informal Usage: In modern informal English, it has become very common to use stunk for the simple past tense as well ('The food stunk.'). While common in speech, stank is still considered the more correct form for the simple past in formal writing.