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
Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
In that respect, Wolfram is a masterful merger of merger of serious social comment and taut, thrilling action, a film where base human cruelty is always somewhere on the horizon, a film that simply reeks of death and decay (there are more flies than Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
When he was lugged in Saugus in 2011, reeking of cheap domestic lager, he was first told to turn off the engine in his unmarked MSP Crown Vic.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reek
Noun
Their dreadful February reeks of a team that grew desperate to reap the benefits of a dying method, at least somewhat relinquishing its old, stubborn ways.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
In that respect, Wolfram is a masterful merger of merger of serious social comment and taut, thrilling action, a film where base human cruelty is always somewhere on the horizon, a film that simply reeks of death and decay (there are more flies than Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
Once Catalina was asleep, Pedro tossed his backpack, reeking of the day’s clothes, into the bedroom.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
When he was lugged in Saugus in 2011, reeking of cheap domestic lager, he was first told to turn off the engine in his unmarked MSP Crown Vic.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reek
Noun
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In October 2025, there was a strong stench at the Inner Harbor.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
-
But like that thong peeking out of jeans and the stench of cloves stuck in clothes, not every trend should see a revival.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Instruments and voices accumulate into immense, sustained, saturating dissonances, with a snare drum cutting through the tear-gas haze.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Scientists believe seasonal winter clouds and hazes in the region may be limiting how atmospheric dust scatters sunlight there.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The lawsuits filed on Tuesday accuse Nicor Gas and the building's management company of failing to properly respond after residents reported smelling natural gas hours before the explosion.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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The entire tourism industry takes a hit when its postcard beaches are piled high with foul-smelling seaweed.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Every leaf, branch, and gust of wind bounces sound waves back to the hunter, creating a deafening acoustic fog.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
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When an agent triggers a bad action, ownership often dissolves into a fog of prompts, product decisions and access policies.—
Oleg Malii,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
For fans of some teams, particularly the ones that tend to stink (say, the Jets), the draft, with its promise of better days, can be bigger than the games themselves.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Traffic stinks, and the prices are absurd, but the Hockey Hall of Fame is a must-visit.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
In the distance, their gently curved edges became bulbous, towering cumulonimbus clouds reaching farther and farther into the atmosphere.—
Emily Holshouser
May 19,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
-
The legacy cloud is built across centralized data centers, which are now proliferating around the world as AI requires more computing power.—
Elizabeth MacBride,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The combination of high-tech sleep equipment and lower-tech sensory tools — masks, mists, earplugs — reflects how broad the sleep retreat category has become.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
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Out in a rainstorm because sometimes that can be just as appealing as watching it from behind warm windows—there is a natural craving for weather to confirm one’s aliveness, and as with storms the same can be true of being out in strong winds, or heavy snowfall, or dense mist.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reek. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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