1
as in stench
a strong unpleasant smell
a terrible reek coming from the garbage can
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
With each frantic filing, his team reeks of desperation.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 8 Jan. 2025
Laurence Scott, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
In the first, researchers found in 2007 that Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers that served as emergency shelters for many displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita reeked of formaldehyde.
—Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for reek
Noun
How to get help if you’ve been affected by fires
Does your home reek of wildfire smoke?
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
With each frantic filing, his team reeks of desperation.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
The exhaust fuming off her pages, reeking of life’s absurdities and pathos, is invigorating.
—Laurence Scott, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
In the first, researchers found in 2007 that Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers that served as emergency shelters for many displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita reeked of formaldehyde.
—Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for reek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reek
Noun
-
In Goma, a city of two million, the stench of death and the sounds of sirens wafted over the streets for days.—
Guerchom Ndebo,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Balda posits that the stench of Fort Worth’s Stockyards, carried north by prevailing winds, also dissuaded any big migrations toward the county line.—
Jaime Moore-Carrillo,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Documented by astronaut Eugene Cernan on Apollo 17, this refers to an illuminated haze during lunar sunset.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Passengers could be seen covering their mouths and noses to protect themselves from the haze.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC News,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Let all this go unchecked, and your oven will either look bad, smell bad, or both.—
Matthew Korfhage,
WIRED,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The girl’s breath smelled of sleep, just slightly stale—no time for mouthwash, toothpaste, in her haste to see him.—
Joyce Carol Oates,
The New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
National Weather Service has warned that visibility has dropped to 1/4 mile or less amid the fog.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
-
But after spending most of the day under low stratus clouds, patchy fog and coastal drizzle caused by onshore flow, New Yorkers will likely need an umbrella for the evening hours, as a cold front coming from the west is expected to dump up to three-quarters of an inch of rain.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
But for a movie about stinking, bloated corpses, on the whole, this one is surprisingly fresh.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Which stinks, because Grant was building, going from 13 to 16 to 20 wins his first three seasons … before plummeting back to earth this year.—
Brendan Marks,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Rest assured, there’s more than a silver lining in that gray cloud.—
Chris Carosa,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The lingering fumes of attention and magical aura somehow still surround the oddball Rodgers like the cloud of dirt around Pig-Pen in the Peanuts comic strip.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The National Weather Service reported light rain, fog and mist in the area around the time of the landing.—
Elizabeth Keogh,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2025
-
The top-fill humidifier can provide a warm or cool mist, and does not require a filter.—
Terri Williams,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to reek
Cite this Entry
“Reek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reek. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share