reek

American  

[reek] / rik /

noun

1. a strong, unpleasant smell.

2. vapor or steam.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to smell strongly and unpleasantly.

2. to be strongly pervaded with something unpleasant or offensive.

3. to give off steam, smoke, etc.

   Synonyms:

   fume, smoke, steam

4. to be wet with sweat, blood, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. to give off; emit; exude.

2. to expose to or treat with smoke.

reek British  

/ riːk /

verb

1. (intr) to give off or emit a strong unpleasant odour; smell or stink

2. to be permeated (by); be redolent (of)

   the letter reeks of subservience

3. (tr) to treat with smoke; fumigate

4. dialect (tr) to give off or emit (smoke, fumes, vapour, etc)

---

noun

1. a strong offensive smell; stink

2. dialect smoke or steam; vapour

Usage

What’s the difference between reek and wreak? Reek most commonly means to give off a strong, unpleasant odor, as in Your socks reek, dude. Wreak means to inflict or carry out something, especially something harmful—it’s most commonly used in the phrase wreak havoc, meaning to cause chaos or destruction or both. While wreak is only ever used as a verb, reek can also be used as a noun meaning a strong, unpleasant smell, though this use is much less common. Reek usually functions without an object, though in some cases it is followed by the word of and the particular smell, as in It reeks of onions in here. This is also the case when reek is used in a more figurative way meaning to be penetrated or saturated with something negative, as in This case reeks of corruption. Wreak is always used with an object, usually some negative effect, as in The storm is expected to wreak destruction throughout the region. Reek and wreak are pronounced exactly the same, so it can be hard to remember which one is which, but you can remember that wreak begins with a w because it is often used in the context of things getting wrecked. Here’s an example of reek and wreak used correctly in the same sentence. Example: I like cooking with leeks, but my wife thinks they reek and says they wreak havoc on her ability to smell anything else. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between reeking and wreaking.

Other Word Forms

• reeker
  noun
• reeking
  adjective
• reekingly
  adverb
• reeky
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of reek

before 900; (noun) Middle English rek ( e ), Old English rēc smoke; cognate with German rauch, Dutch rook, Old Norse reykr; (v.) Middle English reken to smoke, steam, Old English rēocan

Explanation

It smells absolutely rotten and offensive. Birds are falling from the sky because of the fumes. You might throw up from one whiff. Whatever it is, it reeks. Shakespeare famously wrote about the "breath that from my mistress reeks," but that's not a nice way to talk about a girlfriend. The word usually describes smells, but can also be used to suggest something fishy, as in "the suspicious transactions reeked of mob involvement." But noses everywhere agree: Whether it's coming from your sneakers or from the aftermath of a shady deal, if something reeks — it stinks to high heaven.

Example Sentences

“Hey, Reek, man, you’ve been doing a great job,” Hill recalled the former Dolphins quarterback saying.

From Washington Times • Sep. 12, 2023

In that fraction of a second, we watch Theon Greyjoy retreat back into Reek.

From The Verge • Jul. 30, 2017

After they cross the icy river, trouble arrives, in the form of guards on horseback; Reek urges Sansa to go north, without him.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 25, 2016

Some have wondered whether Sansa and Reek survived their big leap, but I can’t imagine such a key character being killed off in such an opaque fashion.

From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2015

Reek could see it in his mouth, the curl of those thick lips, the way the cords stood up in his neck.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin