reek
Example Sentences
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In Miami, veteran English teacher Cary McCormick said her students’ takes began to reek of sameness after the district enabled Gemini.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 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
It smells like his room used to when he lived at home, a faint vinegary reek that would cause Mom to break out the Febreze on a regular basis.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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This story reeks of sub-Le Carré spycraft gone wrong and the use of the courts to hush it up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The shelter in the town hall car park has excrement smeared on the floor and reeks of urine.
From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026
By leaving the couple of hours between posts “to me, reeks of some sort of impropriety,” Adami said.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026
It reeks of Silicon Valley’s Patagonia vests and Kim Kardashian’s all-white kitchen islands.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2025
He must have come by this in the same way he came by the magazines, not honestly: it reeks of black market.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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He looked up to find the culprit: tree-shaped air fresheners that reeked of cheap cologne.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
"The house reeked when we first got here, it was genuinely atrocious for months," Razan says.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
It also reeked of “desperation,” per former federal prosecutor Harry Litman.
From Salon ● May 29, 2024
“I grew up,” said Patricia Majluf, a biologist and senior scientist at Oceana Peru, “in a city that reeked of fish meal.”
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2024
He reeked of sour wine, onions, and sweat.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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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
Fans have been speaking to BBC Sport to vent their frustration at the situation, with one saying: "Spurs now enter the final few weeks of the transfer window reeking of desperation."
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025
If you’re not keen on slathering animal fat all over your face and reeking of beef, there are a few alternatives that promise similar results and smell much better.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2025
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
There’s a smell on that stage, thick and reeking of tension something awful.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
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Vocabulary lists containing reek
The Nose Knows: Olfactory Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Something Smells: From "Malodorous" to "Mephitic" to "It Reeks!"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Smell Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!