as in breeze
a slight or gentle movement of air
wafts carrying the scent of spring flowers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Sarah Kyrcz, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2026
Banana pudding wafts with the green vanilla notes of pandan.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 24 Mar. 2026
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 June 2026
The wafting smell of buttery grits floats in the air and the sound of oil crackling in pans bounces off concrete walls.
—Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for waft
Noun
The scents of honey, lavender, patchouli and cedarwood waft through The Hive by Upcycled Candles, as soft alternative rock fills the air.
—Sarah Kyrcz, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2026
Banana pudding wafts with the green vanilla notes of pandan.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
Something soured Monday night at Madison Square Garden and the stench of spoilt optimism wafted into Wednesday.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 June 2026
The wafting smell of buttery grits floats in the air and the sound of oil crackling in pans bounces off concrete walls.
—Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for waft
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waft
Noun
-
Higher-quality incense holders will include accessories such as tweezers, which make picking up cones a breeze.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
-
Personal fans that create a small breeze can also help.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
At the time of writing, shares are hovering around the $173 mark, down over 20 percent over its all-time high on Tuesday.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
18 June 2026
-
The population hovers at just over 200.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
There’s an entire salad bowl of chocolate mousse, perfectly bitter and rich, and a Paris-Brest the circumference of a tricycle wheel, with enormous puffs of hazelnut mousse and a dripping seam of blackberry jam.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
-
Her ensemble fully embraced ’80s silhouettes, with puff sleeves and subtle shoulder pads serving as focal points.—
Elle Meier,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Dozens of VLCCs are sailing from the South China Sea and across the Indian Ocean toward the United Arab Emirates ports, where at least 30 ships were already at anchor, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward on Wednesday.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
-
Russia’s defense ministry said the crew fired warning shots several hundred yards in front of the yacht, which appeared to be sailing on a collision course with the vessel.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Barely 20 minutes into the game, the crowd suddenly gets quiet as people hold their breaths in anticipation.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
-
But there’s a particular beauty and serenity along this two to three-hour tubing run down the Winooski River from Burlington to Richmond in the Green Mountain State that will take your breath away as much as the refreshing waters do.—
Terry Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Political observers often float Ossoff as a potential 2028 candidate for president, but he's waved away speculation.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
This matters more on scenic itineraries than on port-heavy Mediterranean cruises, where the ship often functions as a floating hotel between destinations.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
In the summer, Akagawa lives full time at his second home in the woods by Rikuzentakata, the drifting post visible from his windows.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
Essential oils release tiny molecules that drift into the nose, where olfactory receptors pick them up and pass signals along the olfactory nerve.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
An Australian lifeguard helped rescue a woman who was critically injured by a white shark while swimming off a popular Sydney beach on Saturday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
-
If the sharks are swimming around, the ecosystem is probably okay.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waft. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
