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
whiffed; whiffing; whiffs
1
: to move with or as if with a puff of air
3
: to inhale an odor
1
2
: fan sense 8
whiffed three batters
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
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Garnet to the eye, this stunning wine opens with aromas of tobacco leaf, Luxardo cherry, red plum, and black raspberry with just a whiff of minerality and graphite.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2026
Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Hitters whiffed on 41% of their swings at his slider.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whiff
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Noun
John Lavelle exudes a perfumed whiff of modern camp in his portrayal of Orsini-Rosenberg, the fussy, backstabbing director of the Imperial Opera.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Garnet to the eye, this stunning wine opens with aromas of tobacco leaf, Luxardo cherry, red plum, and black raspberry with just a whiff of minerality and graphite.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
After falling behind Busch in one at-bat, Wiggins, in his first big-league camp, battled back to work a full count before getting Busch to whiff at an offspeed pitch low and out of the zone.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Hitters whiffed on 41% of their swings at his slider.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whiff
Cite this Entry
“Whiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiff. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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 verb1
: to blow out or away in small amounts
2
: to breathe in an odor
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