WHIFFS Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

whiffs 1 of 2

noun

plural of whiff

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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whiffs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of whiff

as in smells

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of whiffs

Noun

Not even their infamous 70-20 loss in Miami three years ago, three games into Vance Joseph’s return to Denver as defensive coordinator, featured that many whiffs. — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Cameron recorded 14 called strikes and 12 whiffs, per Baseball Savant. — Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2026 Lynch’s massive draft whiffs feel like harmless clerical rounding errors next to his good work in handling all the off-the-field stuff that lands on his desk. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026 On windy days, whiffs of smelting iron blew in from a factory, just beyond a set of train tracks, that produced ingots for the rest of the United States. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026 Although Gausman’s four-seam fastball (13 called strikes) and splitter (15 whiffs) yielded some productive results, the veteran left too many hittable pitches around the plate. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 Errors and whiffs are briskly airbrushed away by the unending march of content. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026 Getty Images The MLB best home run bets have been in one of the longest droughts of the year, with eight straight whiffs on home run props. — Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Verb

Consider that a positive sign for a club that struggled last season with strikeouts and whiffs at its lowest points. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Some mention of bonus bets that whiffs of free money. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026 World Baseball Classic Team USA whiffs Team USA lost 3-2 to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic title game Tuesday night. — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026 Both whiffs only further reminded me what a top-tier star Clooney used to be, and these staid recent efforts help meta-textually burnish Jay Kelly’s initial setup. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2025 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

However, the document didn't give any clear hints as to when exactly policymakers thought that hike could come.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
The pair have restored some of the building’s original features, while adding new flooring and taking hints from Hadid’s paintings for the finishing touches.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of hints

Verb

That’s reflected in the clips shown to the audience, which, unlike the previous films, really gives the sense that this place smells.

— Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026
The candle smells of cereal, milk and lemon and is intended to recall the days of watching Saturday morning cartoons and summer.

— Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of smells

Noun

Most memorable to me were the little touches throughout my stay, like the chocolates left in my room at turndown service — not on the pillow, but on the bedside table, on a glass dish covered with a glass cloche.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
To transport us to this emotionally sticky place, the Melbourne singer transitions into a syrupy, mature sound, entangling some of his most reflective lyrics to date with ’90s house, trip-hop, shoegaze, and touches of drum 'n' bass.

— Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of touches

Noun

Still, Crow—the ever-optimist, as her body of work proves—clings on to the glimmers of hope from leaders of the world who do show us the best parts of humanity.

— Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2026
Viewers get only glimmers of the characters’ personalities and backgrounds, but the show offers enough detail and texture to understand how Season 1 might unfold.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of glimmers

Verb

The child inhales for four counts, holds for four counts, exhales for four counts and holds again for four counts.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026
The chemical is particularly tough on the human respiratory system and, depending on how much a person inhales, MMA can cause everything from sore throats and cough to dizziness, nausea and, at the highest levels, damage to the nervous system, Kleinman said.

— Sierra van der Brug, Oc Register, 23 May 2026

Definition of inhales

Noun

The first flickers of life beamed images from the Bloomberg network of a New York building on fire.

— Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 11 Sep. 2026
Jackson’s availability was curbed by red cards at Chelsea — in Bruges, a barge and shirt pull with defender Han-Beom Lee suggested those flickers of fury and confrontation still burn.

— Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of flickers

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whiffing

whiffs

while

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“Whiffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiffs. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of whiffs

noun

verb

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