Meaning

A strong unpleasant smell..

Definitions by Sense

1. A strong unpleasant smell.
2. (Scotland) Vapour; steam; smoke; fume.
3. (intransitive) To have or give off a strong, unpleasant smell.
4. (intransitive, figuratively) To be evidently associated with something unpleasant.
5. (archaic, intransitive) To be emitted or exhaled, emanate, as of vapour or perfume.
6. (archaic, intransitive) To emit smoke or vapour; to steam.
7. (transitive, rare) To cause (something) to smell.
8. (now rare, of rain or snow) To fall in such a way (e.g. particularly finely or heavily) as to resemble smoke.

Example Sentences

1768, Alexander Ross (poet), "Helenore; or, the fortunate Shepherdess": a Poem in the Broad Scoth Dialect Now, by this time, the sun begins to leam, And lit the hill-heads with his morning beam; And birds, and beasts, and folk to be a-steer, And clouds o’ reek frae lum heads to appear.

Thou mightst as well say, I loue to walke by the Counter-gate, which is as hatefull to me, as the reeke of a Lime-kill.

The blue reeks of smoke from the cottages gave the whole widespread landscape an air of settled order and homely comfort.

You reek of perfume.

Your fridge reeks of egg.

The boss appointing his nephew as a director reeks of nepotism.

[…] innumerable Legions of his Angels of Light, the warm gleames of whose presence is able to make the Mountains to reek and smoak, and to awake that fiery principle that lies dormient in the Earth into a devouring flame.

The slaughter of lambs in offering reeked the fore-courts of the Temple.

Word Forms

• reeks
• reeking
• reeked

Synonyms for reek

Antonyms for reek

Related Words

When Should You Use Reek?

Use reek when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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