whiff

1 of 2

noun

ˈ(h)wif 

1

a

: a quick puff or slight gust especially of air, odor, gas, smoke, or spray

b

: an inhalation of odor, gas, or smoke

c

: a slight puffing or whistling sound

2

: a slight trace or indication

a whiff of scandal

3

: strikeout

whiff

2 of 2

verb

whiffed; whiffing; whiffs

intransitive verb

1

: to move with or as if with a puff of air

2

: to emit whiffs : puff

3

: to inhale an odor

4

: strike out sense 3

transitive verb

1

a

: to carry or convey by or as if by a whiff : blow

b

: to expel or puff out in a whiff : exhale

c

: smoke sense 3

2

: fan sense 8

whiffed three batters

Synonyms

Noun

• breath
• flicker
• glimmer
• hint
• suggestion
• tang
• touch
• trace

Verb

• nose
• scent
• smell
• sniff
• snuff

Examples of whiff in a Sentence

Noun

I got a whiff of new paint when I entered the room.

I detected a whiff of sarcasm in her voice.

The pitcher had eight whiffs during the game.

Verb

He whiffed a strong odor of perfume.

The golfer nearly whiffed the shot.

The golfer nearly whiffed on the shot.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Prior to Saturday’s game, Perez entered with a 45.3% chase rate and a 26.6% whiff rate, per Baseball Savant. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2025

Taking just a whiff from the bottle is transcending and soul-righting. —Liesel Davis, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 June 2025

Verb

The Dodgers whiffed seven times on 10 swings against it. —Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 1 June 2025

All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. whiffed four times for only the second time in his big-league career. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 24 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1591, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing whiff

• skew-whiff

Rhymes for whiff

• biff
• cliff
• diff
• glyph
• griff
• if
• riff
• schiff
• skiff
• sniff
• stiff
• tiff

Kids Definition

whiff

1 of 2 noun

ˈhwif 

ˈwif

1

: a quick puff or slight gust

a whiff of air

2

: a small quantity of odor, gas, or smoke that is breathed in

whiff

2 of 2 verb

1

: to blow out or away in small amounts

2

: to breathe in an odor