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

At the peak, more than 100 million Americans — from the Midwest to the East Coast — were under serious air-quality alerts from the smoke, which wafted into the states from Canada, where thousands of Ontario residents were evacuated. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026

The lap-swimmer’s favorite, shiny new facilities at Hilda Solis Aquatic Center in the San Gabriel Valley include wafting notes of lavender and sage from a nearby indigenous garden. — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Noun

In one image, a young sitter with the Arabic word for ‘justice’ painted on her cheek gazes sensuously into the camera, while flooding the frame with wafts of smoke. — Michael-Oliver Harding, CNN Money, 28 July 2026

At lunchtime, Bosnian and English bounce between the tables while delicious aromas waft in from the kitchen. — Timothy Depeugh, Southern Living, 25 July 2026

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