waft

1 of 2

verb

ˈwäft  ˈwaft 

wafted; wafting; wafts

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

wafter noun

waft

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms of waft

Verb

• hover
• sail
• float
• drift
• swim

Noun

• breeze
• puff
• breath

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

Mary Rodgers later recalled driving up to a brownstone on East Seventy-third Street, where her team heard music wafting through the door. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025

There’s no greater feeling than waking up on Christmas morning to the smell of a delicious breakfast casserole wafting from your kitchen. —Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 12 Dec. 2025

Noun

The days get shorter, a cold chill moves through the air, string lights sparkle in your neighborhood, a faint waft of pine floats your way, and inexplicably Kevin Spacey appears to do an odd bit of press. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2025

Smells of sweet treats like aebleskiver (Danish pancake balls) and gingerbread waft through the air from bakeries like Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery and Mortensen’s Danish Bakery. —Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, perhaps from past participle of Middle English (northern dialect) waffen, by-form of Middle English waven to wave

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for waft

• coughed
• croft
• doffed
• loft
• oft
• scoffed
• soft
• toft
• aloft
• hayloft

Kids Definition

waft

1 of 2 verb

ˈwäft  ˈwaft 

: to move or be moved lightly by or as if by the action of wind or waves

waft

2 of 2 noun

: a slight breeze : puff