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
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025
His whiff rate has also jumped from 23.4 percent last season to 36.1 percent this season.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 May 2025
Dan Hayes, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Like with many middle-lineup power hitters, Alonso has always whiffed on a lot of pitches and teams typically take the strikeouts along with the prodigious power.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whiff
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Noun
Cease got 21 misses on 32 swings against the slider, a 65.6% whiff rate that was his highest since a game in June 2023.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025
His whiff rate has also jumped from 23.4 percent last season to 36.1 percent this season.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 May 2025
Verb
Brock Stewart struck out three, and Griffin Jax and Cole Sands whiffed two apiece.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Like with many middle-lineup power hitters, Alonso has always whiffed on a lot of pitches and teams typically take the strikeouts along with the prodigious power.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whiff
Cite this Entry
“Whiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiff. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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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