1
: a capricious or eccentric and often sudden idea or turn of the mind : fancy
quit his job on a whim
2
: a large capstan that is made with one or more radiating arms to which a horse may be yoked and that is used in mines for raising ore or water
Synonyms
Examples of whim in a Sentence
It's hard to predict voters' whims.
on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream
Recent Examples on the Web
Paying your ever-increasing rent, bowing to the whims of trillion-dollar conglomerates that see your work as merely a line on a spreadsheet, and boy, how about that traffic?
—
Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
With only 21 rooms and suites, expect personalized service, from chauffeured pickup at the Brightline station or the airport, to a dedicated staff who caters to every whim.
—Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
The system was already in place whereby the income of many workers was at the whim of the customers.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Nationalists in China view American alliances as fragile and subject to the whims of each U.S. presidential election.
—Olivia Wang, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
In a sense, one version of this autocracy is replaced with another — and nothing changes much for the people who live at the whims of the ruling class.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
How this legislation is enforced will necessarily depend on the whims of complainers and prosecutors.
—The Editors, National Review, 4 Apr. 2024
Ballot initiatives are one way for voters to assert their power over the political whims of state legislatures or courts.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The series follows Elena’s increasingly unhinged behavior as the sycophants around her fall all over themselves to cater to her every whim.
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024
Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
With only 21 rooms and suites, expect personalized service, from chauffeured pickup at the Brightline station or the airport, to a dedicated staff who caters to every whim.
—Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
The system was already in place whereby the income of many workers was at the whim of the customers.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Nationalists in China view American alliances as fragile and subject to the whims of each U.S. presidential election.
—Olivia Wang, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
In a sense, one version of this autocracy is replaced with another — and nothing changes much for the people who live at the whims of the ruling class.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
How this legislation is enforced will necessarily depend on the whims of complainers and prosecutors.
—The Editors, National Review, 4 Apr. 2024
Ballot initiatives are one way for voters to assert their power over the political whims of state legislatures or courts.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The series follows Elena’s increasingly unhinged behavior as the sycophants around her fall all over themselves to cater to her every whim.
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whim.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near whim
Cite this Entry
“Whim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whim. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whim
noun
ˈhwim 
ˈwim
: an odd or sudden wish, desire, or change of mind
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