1 B1 informal
To fill a room or enclosed space with a very bad smell.
"He cooked fish in the microwave and stank the whole office out."
separable
stink out
B1 informal separable transitive
To fill a place with a very unpleasant smell (chiefly British English).
In plain English
To make a room or place smell really bad.
What does "stink out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To be extremely bad or of very poor quality (figurative, informal).
"That movie completely stank out — I walked out after twenty minutes."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To cause a stink (bad smell) to spread out through a space.
Actually means
To make a room or place smell really bad.
Usage tip
Primarily used in British and Australian English. The American equivalent is 'stink up.' Usually implies the smell is pervasive and affects other people negatively.
Words that pair with "stink out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
room kitchen house office car place
How to conjugate "stink out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
stink out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
stinks out
he/she/it
Past simple
stinked out
yesterday
Past participle
stinked out
have + pp
-ing form
stinking out
continuous
Hear "stink out" in the wild
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