as in sniffing
to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose
whiffed the pot of chili on the stove and announced that he was staying for dinner
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Recent Examples of whiffing
By punting on draft picks, the Rams are taking the possibility of whiffing on them out of the equation.
—
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
The Mets struggled against right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, whiffing on his four-seam fastball and his splitter.
—Abbey Mastracco, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
The Slovenian star shook his head in disdain after whiffing on a 3-point attempt from the top of the key, the ball falling well short of the rim.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
The arrival of the 31-year-old on a $26 million, two-year deal could be viewed as a penalty for whiffing on Kris Jenkins.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
After whiffing nine batters in his first start of the season, the UTSA transfer has now collected double-digit strikeouts in three consecutive outings.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
Johnson’s been whiffing on the open stuff in a make-or-miss league.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2026
This is still like the administration whiffing on the Epstein files.
—NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
The Mets struggled against right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, whiffing on his four-seam fastball and his splitter.
—Abbey Mastracco, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
The Slovenian star shook his head in disdain after whiffing on a 3-point attempt from the top of the key, the ball falling well short of the rim.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
The arrival of the 31-year-old on a $26 million, two-year deal could be viewed as a penalty for whiffing on Kris Jenkins.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
After whiffing nine batters in his first start of the season, the UTSA transfer has now collected double-digit strikeouts in three consecutive outings.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
Johnson’s been whiffing on the open stuff in a make-or-miss league.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2026
This is still like the administration whiffing on the Epstein files.
—NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whiffing
Verb
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The Pelicans just played a season with their current core and won 26 games, putting them miles away from even sniffing postseason play.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
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Security was beefed up at the hall, with guards and metal detectors stationed at every entrance and explosive-sniffing dogs patrolling the hallways.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Verb
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People typically use them to keep the house smelling consistently fresh, to replicate the signature scents found in hotels, spas and luxury retailers, to neutralize odors from pets, cooking or smoke, or to set a specific mood — relaxing, clean, seasonal or otherwise.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
8 June 2026
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The Spurs, meanwhile, appear to be smelling blood in the water.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Take 30 to 40 deep cyclical breaths, inhaling fully into the belly and chest, exhaling without force.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
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People typically become infected with the virus by inhaling microscopic particles from these rodents' urine, feces or saliva, according to Stanford Health.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whiffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiffing. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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