as in stinking
having an unpleasant smell
I would rather not be the one to wash your reeking gym clothes
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Recent Examples of reeking
Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 14 May 2026
And the smell is soft and pleasant, instead of reeking of alcohol.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Following the opening verse with the characterization of his lady’s eyes, Shakespeare proceeded to give a rundown of her other features in less than flattering terms, including her lips (pale), hair (wiry), voice (grating) and breath (reeking).
—David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Verb
Today, a checkerboard of subdivisions crosses east to west, and the remaining grasslands are buried each day under reeking asphalt and rolls of turfgrass.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 14 May 2026
And the smell is soft and pleasant, instead of reeking of alcohol.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Following the opening verse with the characterization of his lady’s eyes, Shakespeare proceeded to give a rundown of her other features in less than flattering terms, including her lips (pale), hair (wiry), voice (grating) and breath (reeking).
—David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reeking
Adjective
-
Not the good, high-altitude ozone that shields us from dangerous UV light, but bad ozone, hovering right above ground level — stinking, brownish, grayish photochemical smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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Their solution to a stinking run was, comically, to rely on less than 23 per cent of possession and pick Madrid off with a classy volley from Martin Satriano, below.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Criticizing those who are actually out there touching it, smelling it, handling it, doing the work — that’s just absolutely shameful.—
Danielle Bacher,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
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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
Adjective
-
The scam driving the narrative is a live one, featuring the Gowanus Canal, then New York City’s most polluted body of water and ripe for development, a few dozen blocks north of Little Odessa.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Refrigerating ripe bananas can slow further ripening for several days, though the peels may darken quickly.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The bleak tortures Ohm concocts for his characters are as vile as the Bilberry’s fetid jacuzzi.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The evolutionary advantage of fetid roses was that their odor deterred animal herds that grazed in their habitat.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Food that needed to be trashed for age or temperature abuse, malodorous air and filthy food containers were among the 33 violations an inspector found at a popular Miami seafood restaurant.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Gladwin iris or roast-beef plant (Iris foetidissima) has malodorous foliage when crushed.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As the ball caromed off the retaining wall in foul territory, another run scored.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
-
Reliever Jordan Leasure replaced bulk pitcher Erick Fedde, and Bader popped up Leasure’s second pitch into foul territory.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Store smelly wood such as cedar or pine and petroleum products, including tar paper, paint, turpentine, kerosene, rubber and charcoal fluid.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
8 May 2026
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Tripti Bhattacharya, a paleoclimatologist at Syracuse University, also takes advantage of waxy substances—though much less smelly ones.—
Hannah Richter,
Scientific American,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Inside, filthy soldiers press up against the wood.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
12 May 2026
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Baker said while Fike's immediate surroundings were filthy, a brand-new hospital bed, urinal and wheelchair were available at the home.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reeking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reeking. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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