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

Padres starter Michael King racked up 12 swing-and-misses in 5 2/3 innings, including three straight whiffs by Trevor Story, which left Rafaela stranded on second at the end of the third inning. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026

Thus began baseball’s century of resisting – and punishing – any whiff of gambling. —Michael Delayo, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026

Verb

In the eighth, with Kyle Karros at third and Hunter Goodman at first, new second baseman Willi Castro whiffed on reliever Anthony Bender’s 3-2 sweeper. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026

The Astros whiffed on four of their five swings at his slider Friday. —Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 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