as in beggar
a young person who is thin and appears homeless or impoverished
the sad sight of waifs on the street
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Recent Examples of waif
Everyone was chasing a waif look.
—
Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
More like a woman who had written a book and less like a lost waif.
—Allegra Goodman, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2026
Even after so long, Camilla was still moved at the sight of her, so graceful and petite, with that thin, waif-like face.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Cleverbot veers from sounding like a winsome waif to coming across as a drunk, smart-alecky fifteen-year-old who talks in non sequiturs.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
His socialite wife, Margo (Malin Akerman), quickly takes Sophie under her wing, introducing the wide-eyed waif to her gaggle of girlfriends, including Jill (Katie Lowes), the wife of the megachurch’s reverend, and Callie (Jaime Ray Newman), the sheriff’s wife.
—Melissa Locker, Time, 23 July 2025
Meanwhile, Bronte the bookstore waif is uncovering the human aquarium.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Diminutive Darcy Rose Byrnes makes for a terrific waif of a hotel maid, her presence central to the action.
—Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2025
The immortal embarrassment of Nosferatu The arduous, debilitating affair between melancholic 1830s waif Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and her vampire lover-enemy Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård, under tons of prosthetics) begins with deception.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025
Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
More like a woman who had written a book and less like a lost waif.
—Allegra Goodman, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2026
Even after so long, Camilla was still moved at the sight of her, so graceful and petite, with that thin, waif-like face.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Cleverbot veers from sounding like a winsome waif to coming across as a drunk, smart-alecky fifteen-year-old who talks in non sequiturs.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
His socialite wife, Margo (Malin Akerman), quickly takes Sophie under her wing, introducing the wide-eyed waif to her gaggle of girlfriends, including Jill (Katie Lowes), the wife of the megachurch’s reverend, and Callie (Jaime Ray Newman), the sheriff’s wife.
—Melissa Locker, Time, 23 July 2025
Meanwhile, Bronte the bookstore waif is uncovering the human aquarium.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Diminutive Darcy Rose Byrnes makes for a terrific waif of a hotel maid, her presence central to the action.
—Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2025
The immortal embarrassment of Nosferatu The arduous, debilitating affair between melancholic 1830s waif Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and her vampire lover-enemy Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård, under tons of prosthetics) begins with deception.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waif
Noun
-
Gobert was chief among the beggars imploring his teammates for a shred of consistency on that end of the floor.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Antinous later shocked the other suitors by insulting and assaulting with a footstool an elderly beggar who had spoken to him in the palace hall.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Plus, the police are looking for a tramp (David Wilmot) who lives in the forest nearby, and may know something about what happened to her.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
-
More than half a century into his imposingly prolific, restlessly searching career as a songwriter, Springsteen has fulfilled the prophecy he was born into as a young tramp.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waif.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waif. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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