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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whiffing
Outside of star left tackle Christian Darrisaw and depth receiver Jalen Nailor, Minnesota has almost nothing left from the 2021 and ’22 draft classes after whiffing on high picks in 2022 on first-round safety Lewis Cine, second-round cornerback Andrew Booth and third-round guard Ed Ingram.
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Josh Dubow, Twin Cities, 4 Sep. 2025
All three outs in the ninth also came on strikeouts with Willi Castro and Dansby Swanson whiffing to strand Nico Hoerner.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Nick San Miguel of Around the Foghorn recently suggested the Giants could swing xa trade for Cleveland Guardians Gold Glove outfielder Steven Kwan in the offseason after whiffing at the trade deadline.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Josh Dubow, Twin Cities, 4 Sep. 2025
All three outs in the ninth also came on strikeouts with Willi Castro and Dansby Swanson whiffing to strand Nico Hoerner.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Nick San Miguel of Around the Foghorn recently suggested the Giants could swing xa trade for Cleveland Guardians Gold Glove outfielder Steven Kwan in the offseason after whiffing at the trade deadline.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whiffing
Verb
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Myla Mae then explored more of her new toys, sniffing them and moving them around the house, her tail wagging the whole time.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
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There’s a narcotic detective, Roman (Regina King), who’s aggressively sniffing around after Hank catches a serious beating.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In front of a packed crowd of surgeons, Morton asked Abbott to breathe in the fumes of a sweet-smelling liquid, known as ether, contained inside a small glass sphere.—
RJ Mackenzie,
Popular Science,
3 Sep. 2025
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The two pups immediately start smelling each other and wagging their tails, clearly stating their approval of one another.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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To fill the void, Potato grabbed his dad's shirt and cuddled with it, inhaling the scent of his human.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
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Each of his patients—like everyone—is already inhaling, drinking, and eating microplastics just by living in the world.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whiffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiffing. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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