as in hints
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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Recent Examples of whiffs
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Last week, the Steelers started rolling through their run game thanks to several whiffs by Patriots defenders over their first two drives.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Farris struck out five, and got 16 whiffs.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
Additionally, Ragans finished with 37 swings and 13 whiffs in his return start.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
The first whiffs of police teargas came before daybreak, with scuffles between riot officers and protesters in Paris.
—Dan Gooding
jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Peterson used his sinker to induce ground-balls, and a changeup below the zone got whiffs.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2025
Arizona right-hander Nabil Crismatt, called up from Triple-A Reno for Sunday’s start, flummoxed Rockies hitters with his 82 mph changeup, generating nine whiffs on 15 swings.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025
Of course, the nine-year vet still needs 2,411 whiffs to get there.
—Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
Bieber’s slider spun off the outside corner for a total of 13 whiffs and called strikes.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Last week, the Steelers started rolling through their run game thanks to several whiffs by Patriots defenders over their first two drives.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Farris struck out five, and got 16 whiffs.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
Additionally, Ragans finished with 37 swings and 13 whiffs in his return start.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
The first whiffs of police teargas came before daybreak, with scuffles between riot officers and protesters in Paris.
—Dan Gooding
jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Peterson used his sinker to induce ground-balls, and a changeup below the zone got whiffs.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2025
Arizona right-hander Nabil Crismatt, called up from Triple-A Reno for Sunday’s start, flummoxed Rockies hitters with his 82 mph changeup, generating nine whiffs on 15 swings.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025
Of course, the nine-year vet still needs 2,411 whiffs to get there.
—Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
Given Eldridge’s offensive profile, there will likely always be a fair amount of strikeouts and whiffs in his game.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whiffs
Noun
-
The Argentine-Spanish artist — best known for her Latin urban, alternative music songs with hints of neo soul and R&B — discovered the tropical genre during her teenage years while buying vinyl records in Madrid.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Xi’s and Lee’s banter coincided with hints of warming relations between the two Asian nations.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Open air is what [Texas] smells like.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Both agree that even the rain, somehow, smells different in this country.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Mosaic archways loom overhead, and the 240-seat dining room is awash with terra-cotta banquettes, sea-blue touches, and clay-toned neutral hues.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
-
With the sun setting earlier, a few cozy touches inside and outside your home can go a long way to boost your mood.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The first is Christopher Walken as Gabriel, a mean-spirited angel who sniffs and licks crime scenes and inspects children’s teeth for reasons that sort of make sense within the movie.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In the clip, an elderly woman stands holding a bowl and a spoon beside a massive brown bear that sniffs her feet.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Directed by Olivier & Tony Award nominee Jeremy Herrin (People, Places and Things; Wolf Hall) and MacMillan, Every Brilliant Thing revolves around a man who looks back at his life and the glimmers of hope that carried him through.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Well, that’s where the Golden State truly glimmers.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But things get weird when Kamala sees flickers of zombie faces in the crowd.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Foster’s tenure had flickers of momentum.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whiffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiffs. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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