reek

American  

[reek] / rik /

noun

• reeks
  plural

1. a strong, unpleasant smell.

2. vapor or steam.

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verb (used without object)

• reeks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reeked,
  past participle,  past
• reeking
  present participle

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)

• reeks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reeked,
  past participle,  past
• reeking
  present participle

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)

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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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reeks
  plural

Participles

• reeking
  present
• reeked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reek
  simple
• reeks
  simple
• have reeked
  perfect
• has reeked
  perfect
• am reeking
  progressive
• are reeking
  progressive
• is reeking
  progressive
• have been reeking
  perfect progressive
• has been reeking
  perfect progressive

Past

• reeked
  simple
• had reeked
  perfect
• was reeking
  progressive
• were reeking
  progressive
• had been reeking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reek
  simple
• will have reeked
  perfect
• will be reeking
  progressive
• will have been reeking
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

reek reeks reeked reeking

Corpse flowers bloom for just 24 to 48 hours, and once opened, they reek of gym socks, rotten eggs and decaying flesh … or, well, a corpse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Disproportionate death sentences may be convincing to those who make clemency decisions, and they reek of unfairness.

From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026

If that doesn’t reek of a corporate attempt to get people hooked, I don’t know what does.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2025

So the two embarked on a survey in the university hostels asking a truly human question: if our sneakers reek, doesn't that ruin the entire experience of using a shoe rack?

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025

The flying rain had ceased for a time, and the sun gleamed up above; but all the lower city was still wrapped in a smouldering reek.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

The shelter in the town hall car park has excrement smeared on the floor and reeks of urine.

From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026

While the bots are getting slightly better at mimicking human cadences, AI-generated writing still reeks of the sterile laboratory where it originates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

By leaving the couple of hours between posts “to me, reeks of some sort of impropriety,” Adami said.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026

The kind that reeks of washed rinds, that crunches with tyrosine crystals, that bears the name of a tiny European village in delicate, old-world type.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2025

My tone reeks of I need someone to talk to.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

By late May, a judge declared the indictment a bad-faith effort that reeked of vindictive prosecution and dismissed it.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026

She recalled suffering a nosebleed in the heat in a field where there was no shade, as well as working in fields that reeked of chemicals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

It also reeked of “desperation,” per former federal prosecutor Harry Litman.

From Salon ● May 29, 2024

I was ready for an event that reeked of Scandinavian coolness, a casual transfer of royal power as Danes gave it a passing glance on a chilly Sunday afternoon.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2024

The whole place reeked of mildew and, faintly, of fish.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

The investigations in Coedpoeth come as another field on the edge of the nearby village of Minera has seen dozens of lorries depositing materials, which one local councillor described as "reeking of diesel".

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Snake is a wonderfully pulpy, instantly iconic creation, an outcast adventurer reeking of sweat and post-Vietnam cynicism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025

But this year, there have been more than a few complaints that the long-awaited year-end data dump was surprisingly "boring," and reeking of AI.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2024

Far from the handsome man she has pictured, he struts in with an “air of cheap assurance” and flashes his trinkets, reeking of cheap cologne, hair coated in bear grease.

From Slate ● May 27, 2024

The smell of oiled machinery was strong in his nostrils, reeking.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi