as in hint
an almost imperceptible sign of something
even a whiff of appreciation for everything I've done for her would have been nice
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whiff
Zack Meisel, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2026
The entertainment continues at Monica—an indoor-outdoor rooftop bar with DJ booth, skyline views, and a faint whiff of 1960s Hollywood.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
Keith has always struck out less (and whiffed less) than average players at every stop in the pros, and adding power would take him from a good player to more of a cornerstone offensively for the Tigers.
—Eno Sarris, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whiff
Noun
The whiff rate on Parker Messick’s changeup It’s one of 19 pitches in the league thrown at least 50 times that has recorded a whiff rate that high.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2026
The entertainment continues at Monica—an indoor-outdoor rooftop bar with DJ booth, skyline views, and a faint whiff of 1960s Hollywood.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
Late in a recent practice, Baugh whiffed on a blitzing defender after stopping cold three periods earlier, earning an unwelcome spot on the next day’s report.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
Keith has always struck out less (and whiffed less) than average players at every stop in the pros, and adding power would take him from a good player to more of a cornerstone offensively for the Tigers.
—Eno Sarris, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whiff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whiff
Noun
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Ives inserts hints of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in the meditative work, and at other times seems to conjure up church bells through the piano.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
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The following are gluten-free and spiced with a hint of cinnamon.—
Kelly Brant,
Arkansas Online,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Spiky Mexican feathergrass pushes through the gravel in the high desert that smells of creosote after a light rain.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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Water began pouring into David Tahara’s North Park home Tuesday night around midnight, thanks to a late-breaking rainfall and a basement storm drain that smelled of sewage at certain points.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Despite the anguish — often told as a punch line — the winner of the competition offered a glimmer of hope to the nearly 90 attendees live-voting throughout the show via an app.—
Brittany Levine Beckman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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But there is a glimmer of hope.—
Jessica Lautz,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Inspector General Deborah Witzburg's job is to sniff out wrongdoing by city workers, and her office's first quarterly report of 2026 revealed a stunning number of findings that involve scamming, scheming, and illegally profiting from work as a city employee.—
Chris Tye,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Ballplayers will quickly sniff out a manager who lacks the temperament and ballast for the job.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Luckily, there was about 15 minutes of tiara chat while inhaling scones to make the time pass more quickly.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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When inhaled, this fungus can propagate in the lungs, potentially causing scarring and collapse of lungs.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiff. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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