waft

verb

\ ˈwäft

, ˈwaft

wafted; wafting; wafts

Definition of waft

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to move or go lightly on or as if on a buoyant medium heavenly aromas wafted from the kitchen

transitive verb

: to cause to move or go lightly by or as if by the impulse of wind or waves

waft

noun

Definition of waft (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : something (such as an odor) that is wafted : whiff

2 : a slight breeze : puff

3 : the act of waving

4 : a pennant or flag used to signal or to show wind direction

Other Words from waft Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about waft

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for waft

Synonyms: Verb

drift, float, glide, hang, hover, poise, ride, sail, swim

Synonyms: Noun

air, breath, breeze, puff, zephyr

Antonyms: Verb

settle, sink

Examples of waft in a Sentence

Verb

The smell of chicken soup wafted up to my bedroom. The sound of music wafted softly into the yard from our neighbor's house. A breeze wafted the scent of roses towards our table.

Noun

wafts carrying the scent of spring flowers

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

As song and the smell of incense wafted through the air, candle-bearing parishioners followed the crowd from the cathedral through Main Plaza and down to the waterfront. — Brian Contreras, San Antonio Express-News, "‘La Procesión’ lights way to honor city’s patron saint," 13 June 2018 On a recent spring evening at a popular Gaziantep restaurant, Arabic ballads and smoke from water pipes wafted over the Syrian clientele. — Erin Cunningham, Washington Post, "Turkey to Syrian refugees: You don’t have to go home, but don’t stay here," 10 Apr. 2018 Aromas of curry and turmeric wafted through the kitchen and dining room, as employees swept and set up tables. — Louis Hansen, The Seattle Times, "One way to keep food-service workers in pricey places: Pay their rent," 17 Aug. 2018 Workers are capping the 11th and last well at the plant to prevent toxic gases from wafting out after lava entered, then stalled, on the property near one of the new volcanic vents. — Fox News, "The Latest: Lava destroys warehouse at power plant site," 22 May 2018 Workers were capping the 11th and last well at the plant to prevent toxic gases from wafting out after lava entered, then stalled, on the property near one of the new volcanic vents. — Jae C. Hong And Sophia Yan, chicagotribune.com, "Workers plugging energy wells at geothermal plant as lava from Hawaii volcano flows nearby," 22 May 2018 Or, simply waft between wonderful meals at Taj’s three restaurants, enjoying the particular giddiness that comes with a good hotel. — Ella Riley-adams, Vogue, "Why India’s Andaman Islands Could Be the New Maldives," 4 Jan. 2019 In Pahoa, a counterculture outpost where ganja smoke wafts through the air, a lava flow in 2014 threatened the town, but in the end destroyed just one home, stopping at the recycling facility. — Simon Romero, New York Times, "Madame Pele, Hawaii’s Goddess of Volcanoes, Awes Those Living in Lava’s Path," 21 May 2018 Then see whether the news ever wafts your families’ way. — Carolyn Hax, The Seattle Times, "How can parents protect child, conceived with donor egg, from toxic relatives?," 30 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

From the Los Angeles design studio Commune comes a clever ruse: a terra cotta disc, designed to hold scented oil, that nestles like a halo on a lightbulb, sending unseen wafts into the air. — Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, "10 Utterly Perfect Home Fragrances for the Holiday Hostess with the Mostest," 20 Nov. 2018 Opera music wafts through the air, and a television set shows a stage with a full choir joining together in song. — Julia Felsenthal, Vogue, "Personable, Popular, Pragmatic: Is Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar the Democrat’s Secret Weapon?," 15 Jan. 2019 The waft of cigarette smoke and hint of manure in Santa Rosa air usher me back into the restaurant. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "The Poems Of Aaron Caycedo-Kimura: Honoring Ones Parents," 13 June 2018 There is much for her, and audiences, to soak in here: the hanging laundry, the wafts of roasting chestnuts, the rumbling Fiat 1100s, and the theatrical conversations. — Jason Horowitz, Vogue, "Meet the Adorable Italian Stars in HBO’s Elena Ferrante Adaptation, My Brilliant Friend," 14 Aug. 2018 As intense, eye-watering smoke wafts from incense coils hanging overhead, stop to admire golden deities, murals and Chinese wood carvings. — Janice Leung Hayes, Condé Nast Traveler, "23 Best Things to Do in Hong Kong," 27 Feb. 2018 Passing country cottages, the smell of cinnamon wafts out of open windows, and then disappears into the air beyond. — Sebastian Modak, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Way to Experience Austria's Wine Country Is By Bike," 7 Sep. 2018 Perkins is a poetic sorceress whose authorial wand wafts over the pages of her book and gently probes the depths of children’s souls. — Ellen Handler Spitz, New York Times, "What Should Your Kid Read This Summer? Here Are Three to Start With," 1 June 2018 Keep a Lid On It The mussels cook when hot steam produced from the simmering liquid wafts through the pot. — Rochelle Bilow, Bon Appetit, "How to Cook Mussels Like Some Kind of Professional Mussel-Cooker," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'waft.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.