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 of whiff

Noun

• hint
• glimmer

Verb

• smell
• sniff
• inhale

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

The Hawkeyes have tried to spackle over their recruiting whiffs with portal additions, bringing in seven different quarterbacks since 2023, including five that have started at least one game in Iowa City. — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 24 July 2026

During a tour of the facilities, Merinoff Kwasnieski walked me around the warehouse, encouraging me to take a whiff from a bin of fermenting strawberries (jammy and clear-your-sinuses boozy, all at once). — Molly Fergus, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 2026

Verb

His curveball is plus and hitters whiffed on it 63 percent of the time through May 10. — Keith Law, New York Times, 12 July 2026

Meanwhile, teams that whiffed on KD were forced to resort to alternative options. — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1618, 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