whim

noun

ˈ(h)wim 

1

: a capricious or eccentric and often sudden idea or turn of the mind : fancy

quit his job on a whim

2

: a large capstan that is made with one or more radiating arms to which a horse may be yoked and that is used in mines for raising ore or water

Synonyms

• notion
• caprice
• thought
• vagary
• fantasy
• whimsy
• whimsey
• fancy

Choose the Right Synonym for whim

caprice, whim, vagary, crotchet mean an irrational or unpredictable idea or desire.

caprice stresses lack of apparent motivation and suggests willfulness.

by sheer caprice she quit her job

whim implies a fantastic, capricious turn of mind or inclination.

an odd antique that was bought on a whim

vagary stresses the erratic, irresponsible character of the notion or desire.

he had been prone to strange vagaries

crotchet implies an eccentric opinion or preference.

a serious scientist equally known for his bizarre crotchets

Examples of whim in a Sentence

It's hard to predict voters' whims.

on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream

Recent Examples on the Web

The Fed’s independence has been central to the United States’ role as the globe’s preeminent economic power; investors worldwide believe the central bank won’t act on a president’s whims. —Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025

This should be five-alarm fire for Wall Street, an institution that owes much of its success to the existence of a US monetary policy nerve center that is, by law and by tradition, insulated from the whims of any one party or politician. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025

However, the unions seem committed to pushing for change regardless of the political whims of the current administration. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025

This makes the younger generation more susceptible and vulnerable to falling prey to the whims of a bot. —The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for whim-wham

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing whim

• at the whim of (someone)
• on a whim
• satisfy someone's every whim
• whim-wham

Rhymes for whim

• brim
• clim
• dim
• grim
• gym
• him
• hymn
• im
• limb
• mim
• prim
• rim

Kids Definition

whim

noun

ˈhwim 

ˈwim

: an odd or sudden wish, desire, or change of mind