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

If Ed got a whiff of Alice pulling her gun on Marshall, she’d probably be fired, and all her work on the case would also be compromised. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Cameron induced 58 swings and 17 whiffs, per Baseball Savant. — Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026

Verb

Columbus catastrophically whiffed in drafting Cayden Lindstrom over Ivan Demidov in 2024, which leaves their prospect pool in a mediocre situation. — Harman Dayal, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

On one play, rookie running back Emmett Johnson whiffed on pass protection, which led to a side conversation with Reid. — Kansas City Star, 31 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