Definitions, Translations, and Word of the Day
Definition of "reek" []
- To smoke, steam, or fume. (verb-intransitive)
- To be pervaded by something unpleasant: "This document ... reeks of self-pity and self-deception” ( Christopher Hitchens). (verb-intransitive)
- To give off or become permeated with a strong unpleasant odor: "Grandma, who reeks of face powder and lilac water” ( Garrison Keillor). (verb-intransitive)
- To emit or exude (smoke, for example). (verb-transitive)
- To process or treat by exposing to the action of smoke. (verb-transitive)
American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Use "reek" in a sentence
- "Caitlin O’Toole at News. com.au outlines ten things bosses hate about employees, from big-picture errors like failing to meet deadlines to personal problems such as smelling bad (telling a staff member they reek is never a fun meeting)."
- "Having artfully solved a thorny problem a week ago, the government has now embraced a deal whose terms reek of the bailout it was at such pains to avoid."
- "Methinks these terms reek of desuetude which really is a legal term, correct?"