1
as in stench
a strong unpleasant smell
a terrible reek coming from the garbage can
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reek
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024
That neither Katherine nor Owen is compelled to buy into the social contract of the residency is one of several reasons Lonely Planet reeks of a kind of evil not otherwise found in this year’s crop of age-gap romances.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 9 Apr. 2024
The sources said the suspect's clothes reeked of fuel and his clothes were wet.
—Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reek 
Noun
Right now, my living room reeks pleasantly of pine—little white pinpricks against so many dark green leaves.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024
That neither Katherine nor Owen is compelled to buy into the social contract of the residency is one of several reasons Lonely Planet reeks of a kind of evil not otherwise found in this year’s crop of age-gap romances.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
The fan base’s organizational distrust, though, was such that the transaction reeked of conspiracy.
—Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 9 Apr. 2024
The sources said the suspect's clothes reeked of fuel and his clothes were wet.
—Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reek
Noun
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Resins, oils, and waxes used in mummification served both practical and spiritual purposes, reflecting a belief in purity and an afterlife free from the stench of decay.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
14 Feb. 2025
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The stench that arose from the putrefying indigo plants could be unbearable.—
Omari Weekes,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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As the microlight receded west into the haze, the birds chasing behind, an armada of cars and camper vans sped off in pursuit.—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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The Abbey in the Oakwood is similarly enigmatic, featuring a derelict cemetery with tilting tombstones and the ruins of a church amid leafless trees, as is Greifswald in Moonlight, a nighttime scene of fishing vessels at low tide with a German city in the haze.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The demands of California’s agriculture and population growth have had severe consequences for native fish species since the early 20th century, with roughly 80% of previous populations of native salmon, trout, sturgeon and the delta smelt.—
Ari Plachta,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Jan. 2025
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Trump's claims that measures to protect the delta smelt, an endangered fish, upstate affected L.A.'s water supply are false, according to Ashley Overhouse, a California water policy adviser for the nonprofit conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Listen to this article On Tuesday morning, patchy and dense fog returned in several counties.—
Garfield Hylton,
Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2025
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The weather service warned Saturday that dense fog near airports in Louisiana may complicate arrivals for fans traveling to New Orleans for Sunday’s game.—
Artemis Moshtaghian,
CNN,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But if your closet starts to stink, not all hope is lost.—
Rabekah Henderson,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2025
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Add to that a gruesome basement room overflowing with stinking sewage.—
Scott Peterson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Just days after what seemed like 40 days and 40 nights of Bay Area storms, the clouds have finally given San Francisco a break – just in time for Ayesha Curry’s Sweet July Skin coffee truck pop-up during All-Star Weekend.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
18 Feb. 2025
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The camp is firmly perched beside a small, spring-fed lake, above billowing clouds and below Mawenzi’s jagged peak.—
Mary Robnett,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Intensity In contrast to the fine-fragrance mist, the perfume is much more intense and bold.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
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Tonight, however, there’s little to see at kick-off but the mist of fans’ breath against the black of the night.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Reek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reek. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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