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

On windy days, whiffs of smelting iron blew in from a factory, just beyond a set of train tracks, that produced ingots for the rest of the United States. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Their 2024 Sauvignon Blanc is composed of 89 percent Sauvignon Blanc and 11 percent Semillon and has aromas of orange peel, peach, and a whiff of Bartlett pear. — Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2026

Verb

Jacas also let Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson escape the pocket on one edge rush and whiffed on a run stop in the backfield with no lineman in front of him. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2026

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

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