How to Use durian in a Sentence

durian

noun
  • Very proud of their durian there.
    — AFAR Media, 30 May 2026
  • Hazmat crews scoured the space; the source was again a durian.
    — Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2021
  • One fruit, the durian, emits such a putrid smell that it has been banned in some hotels, the display says.
    — Janet Morrissey, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2017
  • While hit or miss, trying durian is a must while traveling in Asia.
    — Smithsonian, 17 May 2017
  • When served durian—the sticky, creamy, pungent fruit—pair it with Coca-Cola.
    — Ashlea Halpern, CNT, 19 Sep. 2017
  • Supermarkets stack suitcases for sale next to carts of durians.
    — Audrey Phoon, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2023
  • My castmates were all talking about [the Southeast Asian fruit] durian a couple of days ago.
    — Jesa Marie Calaor, Allure, 13 July 2023
  • Shoppers can find unique tropical fruit here including rambutan and, sometimes, fresh durian.
    — Ko Lyn Cheang, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Aug. 2021
  • Later, in their double at the hostel, Joost hacked at the durian over a copy of People’s Daily.
    — Cassandra Neyenesch, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Kampot is also renowned for its durian, a tropical spiky fruit which—despite its pungent smell, often compared with smelly socks—is beloved for its sweet custardy taste.
    — Vicky Smith, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
  • Before migrating to Malaysia in the 1940s, the elder Tan had never seen a durian.
    — David Pierson, latimes.com, 4 July 2019
  • Or Tor Kor fruit market, where masses of Chinese tourists would once gather around tables eating durian, business has ground to a halt.
    — New York Times, 5 Dec. 2021
  • Thiols are responsible for the distinctive aromas of skunk spray and ripe durian; they’re also added to natural gas to provide a detectable rotten-egg smell at even trace levels.
    — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Chen has also developed a method to transform the cellulose-rich husks of the durian -- a notoriously smelly tropical fruit -- into plastic wrap.
    — Sarah Lazarus, CNN, 2 Dec. 2019
  • Sholihah, who is from Indonesia, recalls eating durian on a visit to Singapore earlier this year.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Fruit Tropical and Asian fruits like durian, lychee, green mangoes and jackfruit can be found in Milwaukee's Burmese shops.
    — Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • In April, an Australian University evacuated its library fearing a gas leak that turned out to be the fumes of a rotting durian.
    — Laignee Barron, Time, 1 June 2018
  • That includes DurianBB, which shipped about 10,000 durians to China.
    — Amy Gunia, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Farmers are felling coffee trees traditionally grown in this cool hilly region to plant spiky durians, pungent fruits that have become wildly popular in China.
    — Jon Emont, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2023
  • But fans of the stinky fruit swear by the sweet-yet-savory taste of the durian's mushy pulp, which can be scooped out and eaten raw or used in a number of Southeast Asian recipes, especially in desserts.
    — Melinda Morris, NOLA.com, 30 Apr. 2018
  • The produce section will offer fruits native to Asia, such as jackfruit, persimmons, longan and durian, according to a slideshow presented at the preview event.
    — Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, azcentral, 22 Jan. 2020
  • The famously stinky durian, typically found and enjoyed throughout Southeast Asia, is finding a place on the New York menus.
    — Charles Passy, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2017
  • Vietnam started shipping the fruit to China in 2022, and the Philippines sent its first batch of fresh durian in 2023.
    — Amy Gunia, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
  • His wife greets customers from behind the register, alongside a large spread of exotic fruits of various shapes and sizes, including durian, lychee and mangosteen, along with tropical plants.
    — Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Last year, Malaysia got the green light to transport fresh durians to China, and exporters sent more than 400 metric tons to the country between August and the end of the year.
    — Amy Gunia, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi are the greatest production sources of durian across the country.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Some of Pizza Hut’s more innovative products include pizzas topped with durian, which is a strong-smelling fruit from southeast Asia, or abalone—sea snails, for the uninitiated.
    — Jacky Wong, WSJ, 2 May 2018
  • But instead of poisonous vapors, the 40 firefighters and specialists called to the scene found a rotting durian fruit stashed in a cupboard, according to the Herald Sun.
    — Laignee Barron, Time, 30 Apr. 2018
  • Advertisement Chan told The Star that the proposal is not intended to claim ownership of durian or negate other countries’ connection to the fruit.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Today Brad and Ayesha sample 7 kinds of tropical fruit, from cracking open coconuts and odoriferous durian to tackling dragon fruit and an African kiwano.
    — Mike Rose, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'durian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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