How to Use reek in a Sentence

reek

1 of 2 noun
  • Pig fear had the same sour reek as our fear.
    — Will MacKin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • And this issue kind of reeks of that.
    — NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
  • Does your laundry room smell like mildew or reek of stinky socks?
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The mud, or maybe the drying agent, gave off a reek of sewage.
    — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 14 June 2019
  • The garden reeks of rotting figs.
    — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The garden reeks of rotting figs.
    — Harpers Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
  • This policy reeks of racial bias.
    — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
  • And when the wind whips, the air reeks of a potent campfire — but no campers are around.
    — Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
  • You could be covered in red sauce and reek of garlic and Bae would still love you.
    — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, 7 Dec. 2015
  • So much about this place could be seen as out of step — the sawdust, the reek, the cash-only stance.
    — New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021
  • The place reeks of human waste, piling up at the feet of everyone around.
    — Gawon Bae, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
  • The viny scent of wine, cut with the stringent reek of strong alcohol, enveloped us.
    — John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2017
  • Not just your armpits—your entire body, head to toe, absolutely reeks.
    — Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
  • This reeks of corruption in service of squashing free speech.
    — Simon Crerar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
  • The junipers' oily aroma overwhelmed even our own piquant reek.
    — John Phillips, Car and Driver, 24 Mar. 2020
  • This one-year penance business reeks of score-settling, petty grudges and arm-twisting.
    — Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
  • In June, the wharf was stacked high with lobster traps tinging the breeze with the faint reek of their latest catch.
    — Murray Whyte, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022
  • Still, the stunts—then as now—reek of exploitation, and the victims are those least equipped to resist.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 16 Sep. 2022
  • This reeks of a decision made by a coach and general manager who are on the hot seat.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Zufferey said the ground trembles during the mudslide and the air reeks of mud and sulfur which lingers for days.
    — Angela Fritz, Washington Post, 5 June 2017
  • Elon Musk has pulled some lousy marketing stunts in his time, but this one reeks of desperation.
    — Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2023
  • The air reeks of urine and feces, and in a bowl on the ground, maggots writhe amid rotting flesh a vet has cut from one of the animal’s wounds.
    — Mirren Gidda, Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2017
  • The Pros and Cons of Horses The horse fairly reeks of glamor.
    — David E. Petzal, Field & Stream, 23 Aug. 2023
  • The reek began to overwhelm the culinary artistry of the chefs, who shot resentful glances at the weighing station.
    — Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Except for the reek of the Cordova cannery, which wraps the entire town in seal's breath, there is not a stinker in the bunch.
    — Michael Engelhard, Alaska Dispatch News, 1 July 2017
  • After all, their motionless companion starts to reek of decay.
    — Leslie Nemo, Discover Magazine, 13 Oct. 2020
  • In town, the painter also notes the reek of decomposing bodies, of garbage, of blood streaming out of the butcher shop.
    — Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Chateaus, villas and trophy cult wines that reek of privilege, entitlement and wealth.
    — Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022
  • According to local reports, buildings there are blanketed in ash and the air reeks of sulfur.
    — National Geographic, 21 May 2016
  • Orchids pollinated by flies or carrion beetles are often brown and reek of rotting flesh.
    — Katy Kelleher, Longreads, 9 Oct. 2019

reek

2 of 2 verb
  • The house reeked of spoiled meat that went bad while the power was off.
    — Jason Dearen and Jay Reeves, chicagotribune.com, 2 Sep. 2017
  • The towels reek like the stray dogs her husband brings home.
    — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Some say they have been forced to drink water that reeks of chlorine.
    — USA Today, 20 Dec. 2019
  • Ed’s uncle’s garage apartment reeked of must and jug wine.
    — Nick Dothée, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The dog also reeked of the waste that had stuck to his fur, Ross said.
    — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2023
  • My little brother used to wear it and the whole house would reek of it for days.
    — Zoë Weiner, Teen Vogue, 13 Apr. 2018
  • For much of the last five months, Boulder Creek has reeked of rain.
    — Sukee Bennett, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2017
  • The 2000s babies reeked of youth.
    — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Even as Lily’s mouth begins to reek, Finn cannot kiss her enough.
    — Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023
  • Overall, this process reeks of cronyism from the early days of rail.
    — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 5 June 2019
  • One got an envelope of clippings — good ones — but the whole thing reeked of cat piss.
    — Susan Fekete, Longreads, 7 Mar. 2018
  • The whole thing reeked of a man trying to protect his privilege.
    — Gianluca Russo, Teen Vogue, 16 Nov. 2018
  • In addition to the area’s stifling heat, the pools reek of rotten eggs.
    — Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 22 Dec. 2021
  • Most importantly, the bad losses can reek like days-old gym socks.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2021
  • And yet in the face of a box score that usually reeks of a loss, the Wizards won.
    — Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 13 May 2017
  • Body odor gets a bad rap, but a person’s fragrance doesn’t have to reek like teenage boys after sports practice.
    — Roni Dengler, Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2018
  • Indeed, there is a special kind of evil that reeks in this situation.
    — Breanna Edwards, The Root, 25 Aug. 2017
  • Far too often, the Aztecs of old reeked of weakness while facing the basket.
    — Bryce Miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, 14 Mar. 2018
  • And the smell is soft and pleasant, instead of reeking of alcohol.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Punks pushed each other from one wall to another and after two sets the house reeked of sweat, but no one seemed to care.
    — Stephanie Salas-Vega, Dallas News, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Plus, the whole process is quick, gratifying and your fingers won’t reek of garlic for eons to come.
    — Jessica Teich, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2017
  • And a pair of University of Oregon gym shorts that still reeked of sweat.
    — Bill Oram, oregonlive, 13 July 2023
  • This reeks of being unable to allow a male ego to drop a few decibels to receive help for people in a time of need.
    — Stephen A. Crockett Jr., The Root, 1 Sep. 2017
  • Hundreds of men were packed in a reeking garage at the station in McAllen, Tex.
    — Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 13 July 2019
  • But the next three years reeked of alpha decay—the firm’s average yearly gain slumped from eighteen per cent to nine.
    — Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
  • Get our daily newsletter At first sight, the event reeks of privilege.
    — The Economist, 15 June 2019
  • The countess’s walls and upholstery reeked of smoke, and opening the windows only filled the rooms with chilly wind.
    — Jennifer Egan, The New Yorker, 5 June 2017
  • His shirt reeked of the flowery-formaldehyde tartness of mothballs pickling dress pockets in a closet.
    — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
  • Even the goal of bringing Saleh back this past offseason reeked of desperation.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
  • But above all else, The Hill’s opinion section just reeks of the same laziness Solomon displays.
    — Libby Watson, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reek.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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