reek 1 of 2

reek

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verb

as in to smell
to give off an extremely unpleasant smell those old sneakers reek something awful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reek
Noun
The absence of these performances among the nominations reeks of a snobbishness that the Academy should have long outgrown. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 July 2025 This one, sold by Lulu and Georgia, has a vintage air that will make your room reek of refinement. Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 2 July 2025
Verb
Healey, who is up for reelection next year and whose approval ratings have dipped, staged a photo op in her Statehouse office with Marcelo Gomes da Silva on Friday that reeked of political opportunism and ickiness. Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 17 June 2025 Audience members will have actual bathrooms instead of reeking Porta Potties. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for reek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reek
Noun
  • There was seemingly a healthy respect between the players, like opposing superstars Virat Kohli and Babar Azam sharing a laugh in an enduring image, in what was a snapshot of the possibilities when the stench of politics is absent.
    Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The same nauseating stench of rancid bodies.
    Seema Jilani August 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Marilyn Minter adapted Barbara Shermund’s 1925 image of a goddess-like woman in grape-cluster earrings; Minter shot the actor Sadie Sink through glass, creating a dreamy haze.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Through the haze of doom that shrouds climate science shines the passion behind the quest to understand and solve one of the greatest challenges humanity has faced.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The team used functional MRI to record brain activity while exposing 20 healthy adults to the five basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami) and to matching retronasal odors – smells delivered through the mouth to mimic how food releases aroma during chewing.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Rain is coming, penciled in for an hour or two from now, and a harsh British wind is flinging leaves off branches and cloaking the countryside with something that smells dungy and damp.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • If driving in dense fog, use low beam headlights, slow down, and leave plenty of distance between vehicles.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Of all the questionable advice pinging around social media platforms, this one really stinks—literally.
    Ashleigh N. DeLuca, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
  • So, if the economy stinks, why is the stock market so delighted?
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The subsequent breakout lifted NIO above key resistance from the weekly cloud model, a long-term trend following tool denoted by the shaded area on the chart.
    Katie Stockton, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Third-party cloud storage providers that have shifted to using Apple's File Provider API, as most of them have, can display results here and in the general Spotlight search view.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Rather than let his boy be torn apart by terrible creatures in the mist, David uses a gun to mercy-kill them all and screams in anguish because there isn't a bullet left for him.
    James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The iPhone 17s will be available in five colors (black, lavender, mist blue, sage and white) and iPhone Air will be available in four finishes (space black, cloud white, light gold and sky blue).
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reek. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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