waft 1 of 2

waft

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verb

as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a feather wafted past us and settled on the grass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of waft
Noun
There’s also a noticeable waft of influence from Nicholas Sparks that provides the weepier elements of this couple’s complications. Courtney Howard, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025 Canadian provinces have evacuated towns and struggled to contain the second-worst wildfire season in 30 years, while residents of some US cities have endured unhealthy air as smoke from the blazes wafts across the border. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
Outside his own home, a bright blue house in the remote borough of Arroyo Naranjo, Mustelier Oruña’s music seeps through windows, wafting out of neighboring living rooms and kitchens. Ana González Vilá, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025 Fall is all about fragrance—from the pumpkin spice wafting through every coffee shop to earthy scents of dewy grass dotted with falling leaves to the pots of mums that adorn every front step in the neighborhood. Kathy Barnes, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for waft
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waft
Noun
  • The only squib marks left on anyone were on the almost 5,000 patrons who braved one of the most refreshingly moderate ocean breezes California has to offer to see maybe still the best homegrown group California has had to offer in any recent year.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Looking for a vacation that involves plenty of sand between your toes, fantastic seafood, and the perfect ocean breeze kissing your cheek?
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • However, Belichick’s NFL past continues to hover around this situation, from questions about his legacy to regular flare-ups involving the Patriots to suspicions within UNC’s program that some of the negative headlines have origins in New England.
    Dianna Russini, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • While Shanghai’s September highs typically hover between 80 and 90 degrees, this year saw 23 days above 95 degrees from late August through early October.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • As police swarm the plant, Batman disappears in a puff of smoke.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Many super-puffs get their inflated atmospheres from tidal heating.
    Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Turning from his father’s trade of corset-making, Paine tried his hand at business, met and impressed Benjamin Franklin in London, sailed to America, and there found his true metier as a pamphleteer and radical.
    Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
  • According to the Seaquarium, the orca was named after Hugo Vihlen, who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in a six-foot sailboat.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Even when a child seems panicked and short of breath, their body might still be getting enough oxygen.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 14 Oct. 2025
  • And now, a deep breath and on to Minnesota, where Nebraska last won in 2015, when Riley’s Huskers beat a squad coached by Tracy Claeys.
    Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Young placed an accurate pass to McMillan on a slant route, but the ball bounced off McMillan’s hands and floated into the mitts of Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson for an interception.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2025
  • From that starting spot, though, McKennie ran or floated into just about every zone in the attacking half.
    Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • While drifting lower from late September record highs, the stock was still up nearly 35% year to date — outperforming the S & P 500′s 13% advance.
    Zev Fima, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
  • According to a preliminary investigation, a passenger vehicle was traveling northbound in the third lane when, for an unknown reason, the driver drifted across the lanes.
    Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Guests can also swim, fish, and bike in specific areas within the park.
    Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Don't swim against the current.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Waft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waft. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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