What Does โStink sth outโ Mean?
โStink sth outโ means to fill a place with a bad smell, usually because of something unpleasant or strong-smelling.
Introduction
The phrasal verb โstink sth outโ is commonly used to describe a situation where a bad odor spreads throughout a room or area. When you say something โstinks outโ a place, it means it makes the place smell very unpleasant. Understanding the โstink sth outโ meaning helps you describe situations involving strong, bad smells in everyday English. This phrase is useful in both informal and formal conversations, especially when talking about food, garbage, or other smells that bother people.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: stink something out
- Type: Transitive
- Level: B2
- Short meaning: To fill a place with a bad smell
Structure (Grammar Rules)
โStink sth outโ is a separable phrasal verb. This means you can put the object between the verb and the particle or after the particle.
- Subject + stink + object + out (e.g., The cheese stinks the room out.)
- Subject + stink + out + object (e.g., The cheese stinks out the room.)
Both forms are correct, but the first is more common.
How to Use Stink sth out?
Use โstink sth outโ when you want to say that something causes a bad smell to spread in a place. It is usually used with places like rooms, houses, cars, or buildings. The object you use is often the place or area affected by the smell.
For example, you might say, โThe garbage stinks the kitchen out,โ meaning the garbage makes the kitchen smell very bad.
Examples
Imagine you enter a room and notice a terrible smell. You might say:
- The old shoes stunk the whole closet out.
- The fish stinks the fridge out if you leave it too long.
- The smoke from the fire stinks the house out for days.
- That cheese stinks the entire room out.
- The petโs accident stank the living room out until we cleaned it.
These examples clearly show โstink sth out in a sentenceโ to describe a place filled with a bad smell caused by something.
Common Mistakes
Sometimes learners confuse the object or the structure of the phrase. Here are some examples:
- Incorrect: The room stinks out the garbage.
- Correct: The garbage stinks the room out.
- Incorrect: He stinks out badly the kitchen.
- Correct: He stinks the kitchen out badly.
Remember, the bad smell comes from something (the object that causes the smell), so that thing should be the subject or object of the verb, not the place.
Differences / Synonyms
Similar phrasal verbs include โsmell up,โ โreek of,โ and โair out.โ
- Smell up: Often means to make a place smell bad but can be less strong than โstink out.โ
- Reek of: Usually means the place or person strongly smells of something unpleasant.
- Air out: Means to remove bad smells by letting fresh air in, opposite of โstink out.โ
โStink sth outโ specifically focuses on actively filling a place with a bad smell, not just having a smell.
Common Collocations
We often use โstink sth outโ with places or spaces that can be filled with a bad smell. Here are common collocations:
- Room โ a common place filled with bad odor
- House โ when a whole building smells bad
- Car โ a small space that can be stunk out
- Kitchen โ often stunk out by food smells or garbage
- Closet โ a small space that can hold bad smells
Real-life Dialogue
Here is a short conversation using โstink sth outโ:
Anna: Did you notice the smell in the kitchen?
Ben: Yes, the garbage really stinks the kitchen out. We should take it out now.
Anna: I agree. Itโs been sitting there too long.
Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of โstink sth outโ:
- The old socks __________ the entire bedroom __________.
- Donโt leave the food too long or it will __________ the fridge __________.
- The smoke __________ the house __________ after the fire.
FAQ
- What does โstink sth outโ mean? It means to fill a place with a bad smell caused by something.
- Is โstink sth outโ separable? Yes, you can separate the verb and particle with the object or keep them together.
- Can โstink outโ be used for people? No, it usually refers to places filled with bad smells, caused by objects or substances.
- What is a synonym for โstink sth outโ? โSmell upโ and โreek ofโ are close synonyms but have slight differences.
- Is โstink sth outโ formal or informal? It is mostly informal but acceptable in everyday spoken English.
