rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryreekUnpleasant smell
noun / verb

reek

REEK/riːk/

A powerful offensive odor.

The reek from the food-waste bin makes the woman pinch her nose.

An older woman recoils from an open kitchen food-waste bin, firmly pinching her nose.
Etymology
reekOld Englishto emit smoke

Originally meaning “to emit smoke,” reek developed the sense “to be heated and perspiring.” That intermediate sense led to its present meaning of giving off a strong, unpleasant smell.

In context

Sleepy Historian30:12
start pushing the chaos into piles that reek of meat and regret, someone else hauls in buckets of water, sloshing and lukewarm, already half gray before they hit the stone.
Boring History For Sleep | Why You Wouldnt Last a Day in a Medieval Castle Kitchen

More examples

  • My gym shoes reek after every workout.
  • The basement reeked of sewage after the flood.
  • The secret deal reeks of corruption.

Forms

reek · reeks · reeked · reeking

Similar words

stench
Names an intensely unpleasant smell; unlike reek, only a noun.
stink
A more informal alternative for smelling bad or a bad smell.