whiff

1 of 2

noun

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

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

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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Now, the host is taking a whiff of the feet of her cohosts, Ross Mathews and Sunny Anderson. Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025 Bieber’s slider spun off the outside corner for a total of 13 whiffs and called strikes. Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
After Torkelson was tied up and whiffed for the final strike, the Comerica Park crowd booed. Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025 Walmart whiffed its Scope 1 and 3 objectives in 2024. Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for whiff

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1591, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of whiff was in 1591

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiff. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

whiff

1 of 2 noun
ˈhwif How to pronounce whiff (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on whiff

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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