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
Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
This reeks of Julia, who is probably the only one Adriana would have admitted her real age to.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Aug. 2025
Sure, my hair reeked of cigar smoke every night, but the money was good.
—Ryan Coleman Updated, EW.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for reek
Noun
Not just your armpits—your entire body, head to toe, absolutely reeks.
—Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
This reeks of Julia, who is probably the only one Adriana would have admitted her real age to.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
What initially reeked of hometown fantasy appears to have real legs.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Aug. 2025
Sure, my hair reeked of cigar smoke every night, but the money was good.
—Ryan Coleman Updated, EW.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for reek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reek
Noun
-
The rotting corpse flower’s putrid stench cast a spell Thursday across Roseville High School’s campus.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
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The 75-year-old ginkgo trees have been wafting the unpleasant smell into the air at the Northern California park, forcing residents to brave the stench that is comparable to vomit, The Sacramento Bee and SFGATE report.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The bag of tricks–Ikue Mori sample-trigger rituals, Orange Milk-adjacent MIDI choir theatrics, Valentina Magaletti kitchen-sink drum thwacking, dubby Sun Araw haze–is endless, but cohesive.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Ektachrome had an additional advantage, which was to give the film the nostalgic haze of an old home movie.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Later, the sleeper-inners among the season’s house guests will stumble downstairs well after the whole house has started to smell, well, like Thanksgiving.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Open air is what [Texas] smells like.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Freezing fog makes driving, boating, flying, and other forms of transportation particularly hazardous.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Streetlights flickered before large parts of the city were plunged into darkness, as a thick fog settled over the streets and temperatures plummeted to –5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Dolphins have stunk lately in weather like this.—
Greg Cote
January 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Jan. 2026
-
Over time, your house will start to stink if squirrels are using your attic as a litter box.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
On-device processing keeps personal data local, while secure cloud services extend functionality with user control.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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That said, don’t wait for perfectly clear skies to head into the hills – even in bright, sunny weather, the Matterhorn loves playing peek-a-boo behind the clouds.—
Rick Steves,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
However, a mysterious doctor showed up and revealed herself as Asuka, spitting mist at Charlotte's face, which also hit Alexa.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
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There is also pretty but not always energetic imagery filmed in different referenced parts of the current American wilderness — snow gathering in fields, mist rising above mountaintops — and never-energetic shots of re-enactors loading muskets or preparing for battle.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reek. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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