reek — to smell strongly and unpleasantly
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to smell strongly and unpleasantly
Pronunciation (IPA): /riːk/
Example Sentences
- My roommate's gym bag reeks so badly that even the cockroaches moved out.
- The fish market reeks, but the sushi is worth it.
- His excuse reeks of lies - nobody believes he was abducted by aliens.
reek
VERB[/riːk/]
to smell strongly and unpleasantly
to smell strongly and unpleasantly
Seek the reek, find the leak!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Old English 'recan', which originally meant 'to emit smoke or vapor'. Over time, the meaning evolved to refer to the emission of foul odors, eventually settling into its modern sense of having an unpleasant smell.
Breakdown
Old English 'recan' (to emit smoke/vapor) → Middle English 'reken' → Modern English 'reek' (to smell bad). The semantic shift reflects a linguistic drift from describing smoke or steam to describing disagreeable odors.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My roommate's gym bag reeks so badly that even the cockroaches moved out.”
“The fish market reeks, but the sushi is worth it.”
“His excuse reeks of lies - nobody believes he was abducted by aliens.”
“The whole situation reeks of unfairness.”
📚Related Words
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