as in hazes
an atmospheric condition in which suspended particles in the air rob it of its transparency
couldn't see through the reek of smog and smoke surrounding the steel plant
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Recent Examples of reeks
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
The entire episode reeks of everlasting ineptitude.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026
This policy reeks of racial bias.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
Withholding their reunion reeks of the kind of water-treading felt throughout the first five episodes, but Cooper’s search for his family is a series-long arc, not a seasonal one.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
Those of us invited to lead trainings, speak in front of groups, or write pieces like this one need to stay humble, to resist anything that reeks of protest-as-usual, soothing political egos, ideology, or false guarantees.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The meme coin reeks of a scam called a rug pull, in which followers are baited into buying the coin to boost its value, before the founder sells all their assets at a higher price.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 28 Jan. 2026
The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
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
The entire episode reeks of everlasting ineptitude.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026
This policy reeks of racial bias.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
Withholding their reunion reeks of the kind of water-treading felt throughout the first five episodes, but Cooper’s search for his family is a series-long arc, not a seasonal one.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
Those of us invited to lead trainings, speak in front of groups, or write pieces like this one need to stay humble, to resist anything that reeks of protest-as-usual, soothing political egos, ideology, or false guarantees.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The meme coin reeks of a scam called a rug pull, in which followers are baited into buying the coin to boost its value, before the founder sells all their assets at a higher price.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 28 Jan. 2026
The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reeks
Noun
-
Through hushed hazes of strings emerge gentle pulsings and flourishes of winds.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Along the way, blazes of pyrotechnics, flashes of light and hazes of smoke heightened the set’s intensity.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Glowicki stars as a lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
-
That stinks enough on its own, in a 68-team world.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Barresi and Cuellar hold each other up with palpable tenderness, each one crafting a long, poignant arc from innocence through the fogs and thorns of experience.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Instantly, the elixir, which is super-lightweight (and smells like a fancy laundry detergent in the best way), added shine and smoothed out my strays.—
Allure Editors,
Allure,
24 Mar. 2026
-
There’s nothing like walking into a bar that smells like blood and beer and doing well.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
An actual cosmic void — which can indeed be a billion light-years (or more) across — has nothing to do with dark gas clouds and Bok globules, which are small, nearby clouds of light-blocking matter, particularly at optical wavelengths.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Its home screen’s hourly forecast consists of temperatures, weather icons, and illustrative background visuals, such as gloomy rain clouds, that sometimes fail to match the view out the window.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reeks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reeks. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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