reek

[reek]

noun

a strong, unpleasant smell.

vapor or steam.

verb (used without object)

to smell strongly and unpleasantly.

to be strongly pervaded with something unpleasant or offensive.

to give off steam, smoke, etc.

to be wet with sweat, blood, etc.

verb (used with object)

to give off; emit; exude.

to expose to or treat with smoke.

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

Related formsreek·er, nounreek·ing·ly, adverbreek·y, adjective

Synonyms for reek

5. steam, smoke, fume.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for reeks

stink, effluvium, smell, stench, fetor, mephitis, fume, steam, smoke, emit

Examples from the Web for reeks

Contemporary Examples of reeks

Nolte's Breitbart report on Dunham's "Barry" reeks of obliviousness.
The Right's Rape Trolls vs. Lena Dunham
Emily Shire
December 10, 2014
Indeed, the Sooner State has lately taken pride in pushing back against anything that reeks of progressive-ness.
Solar Power Burns Old Utilities’ Business Models
Daniel Gross
April 24, 2014
This is the kind of weak language that reeks of State Department memo writing and should never be uttered in public.
President Obama’s Belgian Waffle
Stuart Stevens
March 27, 2014
It reeks of desperation and signals an inability to come to grips with modernity.
The GOP’s Racial Handicap
Lloyd Green
October 28, 2013
It reeks of Stockholm syndrome—Romney seems to think his captors are his friends.
Mitt Romney’s Stockholm Syndrome Behavior
John Avlon
May 30, 2012

Historical Examples of reeks

I sha'n't take anything at the refreshment bar, it reeks of the Institute.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
Dunwood House reeks of commerce and snobbery and all the things he hated most.
The Longest Journey
E. M. Forster
But the evidence of Reeks convinced for the instant even sceptics.
Sir Walter Ralegh
William Stebbing
An English merchantman, belonging to one Reeks of Ratcliff, lay in the harbour.
Sir Walter Ralegh
William Stebbing
The Englishman vows the Italian reeks with the scent of garlic.
On the Mexican Highlands
William Seymour Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for reeks

reek

verb

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

(intr often foll by of) to be permeated (by); be redolent (of)the letter reeks of subservience

(tr) to treat with smoke; fumigate

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

noun

a strong offensive smell; stink

mainly dialect smoke or steam; vapour

Derived Formsreeking, adjectivereekingly, adverbreeky, adjective

Word Origin for reek

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for reeks

reek

Old English recan (Anglian), reocan (West Saxon) "emit smoke," from Proto-Germanic *reukanan (cf. Old Frisian reka "smoke," Middle Dutch roken, Dutch rieken "to smoke," Old High German riohhan "to smoke, steam," German rauchen "to smoke," riechen "to smell").

Originally a strong verb, with past tense reac, past participle gereocen, but occasionally showing weak conjugation in Old English. Meaning "to emit smoke;" meaning "to emit a bad smell" is recorded from 1710 via sense "be heated and perspiring" (early 15c.). Related: Reeked; reeking.

reek

Old English rec (Anglian), riec (West Saxon), "smoke from burning material," probably from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norse reykr, Danish rǿg, Swedish rök "smoke, steam," from Proto-Germanic *raukiz (cf. Old Frisian rek, Middle Dutch rooc, Old High German rouh, German Rauch "smoke, steam"), from PIE *reug- "to vomit, belch;" also "smoke, cloud." Sense of "stench" is attested 1650s, via the notion of "that which rises" (cf. reek (v.)).