1
: a small handful (as of hay or straw)
2
a
: a thin strip or fragment
b
: a thready streak
a wisp of smoke
c
: something frail, slight, or fleeting
a wisp of a girl
a wisp of a smile
3
archaic
: will-o'-the-wisp
wisped; wisping; wisps
1
: to roll into a wisp
2
: to make wisps of
a cigarette wisping smoke at the corner of his mouth—
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
: to emerge or drift in wisps
her hair began to wisp into her eyes—Mary Manning
Mary ManningExamples of wisp in a Sentence
Noun
Wisps of steam rose up from the teapot.
Wisps of cotton candy clung to his mouth.
Recent Examples on the WebEvan Moffitt, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Her hair was tied back in a ponytail while out on the street, with just a few wisps of hair left down, looking effortless as ever.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
Some of Wiig’s most memorable recurring characters, Michaels says, rested on the vaguest wisp of an idea, like Surprised Sue, an excitable woman who can’t keep herself from giddily ruining surprises.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
These sculptural works by Gurav Gupta remind us of wisps of air or a rushing stream—perfectly in line with our sub-themes.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
Viewers can expect to see wisps, streams, and maybe even a large eruption called a coronal mass ejection.
—Jenna Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
The filling is more herbaceous than beefy, with wisps of egg bringing a greasy whisper of diner omelet flavor.
—The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
These green-hued wisps, dancing above pink-red, extremely high-altitude lightning during thunderstorms, had been discovered only in May that year.
—Robin George Andrews, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2023
Billowing red and orange wisps represent gas in the spiral arms.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024
Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 17 Dec. 2015
Then, the wind will wisp them away on a strand of silk, carrying them to new regions, or even states, reports Live Science.
—Rasha Aridi, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Nov. 2021
Multiple outlets have reported the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, has wisps of reddish hair—which may mean he’s inherited the signature feature of his father, Prince Harry.
—Vogue, 16 Aug. 2019
The gentle breeze of my ceiling fan has wisps of my dark hair dancing back and forth across the left side of my face.
—Meryl Davis, SELF, 30 May 2018
Vessel’s 18 bedroom-style songs wisp away like seeds from a dandelion, each subsequent track feeling more fleeting than its predecessor.
—Kevin Warwick, Chicago Reader, 27 Apr. 2018
Noun
There’s certainly a sense of magic to his Feather Stool, with its wisps of yellow and white plumage suspended in an acrylic block.
—Evan Moffitt, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Her hair was tied back in a ponytail while out on the street, with just a few wisps of hair left down, looking effortless as ever.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
Some of Wiig’s most memorable recurring characters, Michaels says, rested on the vaguest wisp of an idea, like Surprised Sue, an excitable woman who can’t keep herself from giddily ruining surprises.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
These sculptural works by Gurav Gupta remind us of wisps of air or a rushing stream—perfectly in line with our sub-themes.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
Viewers can expect to see wisps, streams, and maybe even a large eruption called a coronal mass ejection.
—Jenna Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
The filling is more herbaceous than beefy, with wisps of egg bringing a greasy whisper of diner omelet flavor.
—The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
These green-hued wisps, dancing above pink-red, extremely high-altitude lightning during thunderstorms, had been discovered only in May that year.
—Robin George Andrews, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2023
Billowing red and orange wisps represent gas in the spiral arms.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024
Verb
Tropical trade winds blow in a band across the equator, spinning off cyclones and storms, which wisp away and scatter into westerly currents.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 17 Dec. 2015
Then, the wind will wisp them away on a strand of silk, carrying them to new regions, or even states, reports Live Science.
—Rasha Aridi, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Nov. 2021
Multiple outlets have reported the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, has wisps of reddish hair—which may mean he’s inherited the signature feature of his father, Prince Harry.
—Vogue, 16 Aug. 2019
The gentle breeze of my ceiling fan has wisps of my dark hair dancing back and forth across the left side of my face.
—Meryl Davis, SELF, 30 May 2018
Vessel’s 18 bedroom-style songs wisp away like seeds from a dandelion, each subsequent track feeling more fleeting than its predecessor.
—Kevin Warwick, Chicago Reader, 27 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wisp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wisp
Cite this Entry
“Wisp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wisp. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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