/ riːk; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb [ v ] reek (of sth)
1.
to smell very strongly of sth unpleasant :
His breath reeked of tobacco.
2.
( disapproving ) to suggest very strongly that sth unpleasant or suspicious is involved in a situation :
Her denials reeked of hypocrisy.
■ noun
[ sing. ] a strong unpleasant smell
SYN stench
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English rēocan give out smoke or vapour , rēc (noun) smoke , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch rieken to smell, rook smoke, German riechen to smell, Rauch smoke.