reek
Americannoun
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a strong, unpleasant smell.
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vapor or steam.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to give off; emit; exude.
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to expose to or treat with smoke.
verb
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(intr) to give off or emit a strong unpleasant odour; smell or stink
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to be permeated (by); be redolent (of)
the letter reeks of subservience
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(tr) to treat with smoke; fumigate
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dialect (tr) to give off or emit (smoke, fumes, vapour, etc)
noun
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a strong offensive smell; stink
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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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
All I could smell was the rancid reek of trolls.
From Literature
In the movie, Charli contends with the unfathomable triumph of “Brat” while fielding brand deal offers and label demands that reek of the capitalist desperation to extend the “Brat” era as long as possible.
From Salon
The air began to reek of sulfur, the rotten-egg smell reminding them of Yellowstone National Park or hot springs around Sue’s hometown in Wyoming.
From Literature
The crowded streets reek of rotten fish, and it pains me to see Father limping again.
From Literature
The meat was stringy and gray with little streaks of pink in it, and it reeked like roadkill.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
