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What’s the Past Tense of Stink? Stank vs Stunk

To stink is the present tense, whereas stank is the past simple tense. Stunk is the past participle form of the verb, stink.

The verb ‘stink‘ in text messages. Made by Gflex on Canva.



What’s the past tense of “stink”?

Is it stink, stank or stunk up the room? Can you sniff out the correct answer?


If not, no sweat. We’ll explain the differences and the correct use of the past tense of stink. But the first order of business: let’s define the subject topic.


The intransitive verb stink is defined by the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary as to, “stink (of something) to have a strong, unpleasant smell: Her breath stank of garlic.


TenseExamples: forms of “stink” used in sentences
presentIt stinks in here!
past The room stank of mold and old books.
past participle formThe refrigerator has stunk ever since she bought that container.



Forms of the verb “stink”

presentpastfuture
simpleI stinkI stankI will stink
continuousI am stinkingI was stinkingI will be stinking
perfectI have stunkI had stunkI will have stunk
perfect continuousI have been stinkingI had been stinkingI will have been stinking
12 verb tenses of ‘stink’.

“Stank” vs. “stunk”, when to use both

The difference is in the past simple tense being a tense (slice of time) in which an action or event occurred. The past participle is a form of verb that does not, on its own, convey tense, and so uses a helping or auxiliary verb, such as had/have/has. Beyond that, the past participle forms the passive voice, and one of the perfect tenses.



Other irregular verbs like “stink”

base verbpast tensepast participle
stinkstankstunk
shrinkshrank shrunk
singsang sung
sinksank sunk
ringrang rung
springsprangsprung
drinkdrankdrunk
Irregular verbs (with two past tense conjugations).



Examples of “stink” used in sentences

1. The bathroom stinks.

2. The food is good at that restaurant, but the service stinks.

3. It stinks of smoke in here.

4. Don’t go in there—it stinks.

5. ‘What do you think of the idea?’ ‘I think it stinks.’



Sentences with “stank” ‍(past tense)

1. The whole place, even the performers, stank of decay.

2. They were on drugs, and stank of alcohol.

3. He had been disappointed with the first draft, which he reportedly said stank.

4. The whole business stank of corruption.

5. Her breath stank of garlic.

Example sentences with “stunk” (past participle)

1. My shoes have stunk ever since returning from our walk along the swamp’s edge.

2. Why then had he allowed a man like Jeff, who must have stunk of ambition from the outset, access to his Loop? Clive Barker.

3. The cooler had stunk for days after the boys returned from their fishing trip.

4. “Everywhere must have stunk of burning weeds!”

5. The refrigerator has stunk ever since she threw the container out.

Synonyms of the word ‘stink’

  • smell
  • fetor
  • noisome
  • stench
  • odor
  • foul odor
  • offensive smell
  • malodor

Origin of the word stink

From etymology online on stink (v.):

Old English stincan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German stinken, also to stench.



Other commonly confused verb tenses

Learn more about verbs

Sources

  1. Etymology online, origin of stink.
  2. Definition of stink.


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