reek

[ reek ]

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

/ riːk /

verb

1. intr to give off or emit a strong unpleasant odour; smell or stink
2. introften foll byof 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

Derived Forms

• ˈreeking, adjective
• ˈreekingly, adverb
• ˈreeky, adjective

Other Words From

• reeker noun
• reeking·ly adverb
• reeky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reek¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of reek¹

Old English rēocan ; related to Old Frisian riāka to smoke, Old High German rouhhan , Old Norse rjūka to smoke, steam

Example Sentences

At that very thought, the engine modes down and the reek of exhaust pulls over us, thick as a quilt.

From Nautilus

Both reek of false modesty, but Deen does appear jumpy and genuinely anxious at times.

From The Daily Beast

And hipsters and hippies now reek of old-school, kneejerk attitudes.

From The Daily Beast

The particulars of this case, in fact, reek with the stench of crony capitalism.

From The Daily Beast

A moment later there was Something nearly at his left elbow, and he smelt again the nameless, fœtid reek.

From Project Gutenberg

The reek of hot tin from the dark lantern grew worse momentarily.

From Project Gutenberg

This first was the Boer hospital, and even at this early hour the air was pungent with the reek of strong tobacco.

From Project Gutenberg

At such times I could detect the faint reek of alcohol coming through his pores.

From Project Gutenberg

It overlaid the reek of the cattle yards, the fumes of rank spirits and tobacco that came from the shanties.

From Project Gutenberg

Reek Vs. Wreak

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.

Quiz yourself on reek vs. wreak!

Should reek or wreak be used in the following sentence?

Don’t spray me with that stuff—I don’t want to _____ of cheap cologne!