reeking 1 of 2

reeking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of reek
as in smelling
to give off an extremely unpleasant smell those old sneakers reek something awful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reeking
Adjective
  • This is about a team with a top-10 payroll whose GM committed too stinking much of it to dogs that can’t, or won’t, pull the sled.
    Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
  • Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
    Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019
Verb
  • Especially when that includes boarding a Christmastime caboose brimming with holiday decor, smelling hot cocoa wafting through the cars, and enjoying plenty of picturesque views.
    Perri Ormont Blumberg Fox News, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Deep in the forest, the air whips by cold and fast and smelling of redwoods.
    Nick Czap, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Red flag warnings are issued by the National Weather Service when conditions are ripe for fires.
    JIM VERTUNO, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
  • There is a certain anime cast to his round face and thick eyelashes, which perhaps are ripe for infantilizing caricature.
    Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The most impressive aspect of Schlesinger’s film is its sense of place: the sunny, awesomely relaxed, fetid warmth captured by Conrad Hall’s sumptuous cinematography.
    Armond White, National Review, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Fascinating and fetid, the Salton Sea in southern California lures me back, every year.
    Dennis Hinkamp, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Public stations were expensive to maintain and quickly became dirty and malodorous.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Each lawyer, then, in his or her own way, played a part in creating a caricature: Danny, the kid in a tough situation trying his best to do the right thing; Mr. Neely, that malodorous man with schizophrenia stoking passengers’ fears on the subway.
    Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • With 13:33 left in the game, McCaffery grew frustrated by a disparity in foul calls, blew his top and picked up a technical from official Brian Dorsey.
    Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Davis grabbed the offensive rebound following Burton’s try for the win, and Austin was called for a foul down low.
    Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • If your plant’s roots or stems are mushy and smelly, your plant may be affected by root rot.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Dec. 2024
  • Before Brummell, the aristocracy dressed in rich, smelly materials; after, styles were adapted from military uniforms—think of the broad shoulders of a British pinstripe suit, for example.
    Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In early modern Europe, the filthiest trades (such as tanning) were branded nuisances and forced out of cities and closer to those living at society’s margins.
    Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The beat is straight up filthy, as are the lyrics, written from the point of view of a seductress who is simultaneously a literal murderer.
    James Factora, Them, 7 Mar. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Reeking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reeking. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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