reek

To reek is to smell strongly of something unpleasant, or to give off a sense of something unpleasant.

(verb)

When you douse yourself in cheap perfume and people two tables over can smell you, this is an example of a time when you reek of perfume.
When your boss promotes his son to President of the company even though his son isn't qualified, this is an example of a situation where the hiring decision reeks of nepotism.

See reek in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

Origin: ME < OE rec, akin to ON reykr, Ger rauch < ? IE base *reug-, cloud, smoke

intransitive verb

Origin: ME reken < OE reocan

transitive verb

Related Forms:

See reek in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb reeked, reek·ing, reeks

verb, intransitive

To smoke, steam, or fume.
To be pervaded by something unpleasant: “This document … reeks of self-pity and self-deception” (Christopher Hitchens).
To give off or become permeated with a strong unpleasant odor: “Grandma, who reeks of face powder and lilac water” (Garrison Keillor).

verb, transitive