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\ ˈwäft 
, ˈwaft \
, ˈwaft \wafted; wafting; wafts
Definition of waft
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to move or go lightly on or as if on a buoyant medium
heavenly aromas wafted from the kitchen
: to cause to move or go lightly by or as if by the impulse of wind or waves
waft
nounDefinition of waft (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for waft
Synonyms: Verb
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Verb
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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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Converging lines of evidence indicate that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, can pass from person to person in tiny droplets called aerosols that waft through the air and accumulate over time.
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Dyani Lewis, Scientific American, "Mounting Evidence Suggests Coronavirus is Airborne—but Health Advice Has Not Caught Up," 8 July 2020 Forecasts project that the dust cloud — which stretches thousands of miles long — could swirl into the Gulf of Mexico and waft over Texas, Louisiana and elsewhere in the Southeast in the coming days.
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NBC News, "Coronavirus-stricken U.S. faces another problem: A massive dust cloud from Africa," 24 June 2020 When dust clouds waft across the ocean, they are carried by the same trade winds that blow west off the coast of Africa and can churn up tropical storms and hurricanes, according to Gill.
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NBC News, "Coronavirus-stricken U.S. faces another problem: A massive dust cloud from Africa," 24 June 2020 The aromas of brown butter, cocoa, and almond waft down the street from its two-story bakery on Cayucos’ main drag.
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Tanvi Chheda, Travel + Leisure, "This Long-overlooked California Region Has Offbeat Hotels, Stunning Beaches and Hiking Trails, and Some of the Best Wines in the West," 11 June 2020 Grey clouds waft over scattering crowds in the footage from Seattle this past Sunday.
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Popular Science, "Tear gas during COVID-19 is a public health disaster," 8 June 2020 Smoke continued to waft in the air 24 hours after people protesting the death of George Floyd lit fire to Moore's storefront business, and several others along Lake Street.
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Tyler J. Davis, USA TODAY, "Their stores were burned, ransacked and looted. What's next for Minneapolis-area small business owners who lost everything?," 1 June 2020 In 1996, with the stench of mud baked on hot car parts wafting into the air, spectators and competitors were eagerly awaiting the start of the Baja 1000 — a brutal annual race in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.
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New York Times, "Two Women, Two Career Paths and a Shared Passion: Cars," 30 Apr. 2020 There were no Irish ballads wafting into the streets from bustling dining spaces.
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Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, "As St. Patrick's Day came and went, coronavirus kept Louisville bars empty and joyless," 18 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun As communion was received, the waft of burning incense filled the air, palpable even through the face masks worn to protect from the ongoing threat of the coronavirus.
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Savannah Eadens, The Courier-Journal, "Shooting victim Tyler Gerth died fighting injustice and inequality, family says at funeral," 3 July 2020 Grey clouds waft over scattering crowds in the footage from Seattle this past Sunday.
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Popular Science, "Tear gas during COVID-19 is a public health disaster," 8 June 2020 Aside from wafts of eau de clutch, the technique resulted in no negative side effects.
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Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, "Tested: 2019 Porsche Speedster Makes a Case for Less Is More," 27 Mar. 2020 The smoke displays that get set off waft slowly across the field like the pyrotechnic haze that follows the halftime show at the Super Bowl.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Behind the scenes with the Revolution on a road trip to Soccer City, USA - The Boston Globe," 15 Oct. 2019 Hundreds of plastic objects, from a toy soldier to a woman’s hair curler to the remnants of a sand shovel waft gently in a breeze from heating vents.
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Mary Carole Mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "Is climate change art? 5 must-see pieces at the new AVAM exhibit," 14 Oct. 2019 Pascual Reyes’ music wafts through the scenes, spreading a horror atmosphere, and the cinematography by Nicolas Wong Diaz is shadowy and suggestive.
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Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Weeping Woman' ('La Llorona'): Film Review," 30 Sep. 2019 Each time there’s a sizzle, a fresh waft of spices fills the room.
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BostonGlobe.com, "selected this month by Bon Appetit for the magazine’s annual “Hot 10” list of best new restaurants in the country. There are some," 25 Sep. 2019 Anodyne adult-contemporary pop wafts somewhere in the distance (Adele, Hall & Oates).
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Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, "Where do you read books? I read at the mall.," 20 Sep. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for waft
waft
verb English Language Learners Definition of waft
: to move lightly through the air
See the full definition for waft in the English Language Learners Dictionary
waft
verb\ ˈwäft , ˈwaft \
, ˈwaft \wafted; wafting
Kids Definition of waft
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to move or be moved lightly by or as if by the action of waves or wind
A scent wafted in.
waft
nounKids Definition of waft (Entry 2 of 2)
: a slight breeze or puff of air
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Time Traveler for waft
The first known use of waft was in the 15th century
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