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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

And markets have reacted swiftly to his public signals of peace or hints of progress.

— Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
While there is no water vapor, JWST has picked up hints of solid particles of crystalline water-ice.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of hints

Verb

The air smells of jasmine, fresh bread from the bakery, and the sea.

— Chadner Navarro, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
Adriatic sage brings the outdoors in—this candle smells like an open window in the height of Italian summer, sunlight on tile floors, and triple servings of pasta to come in the late dusk.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of smells

Noun

The England man surely had by far the most touches on the pitch, always getting on the ball deep and starting the build-up play.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
The riddim has seen a heavy revival in Turkey since 2024, with four separate artists adding their own touches to it.

— Danny Hajjar, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of touches

Noun

These are the glimmers of something in the fringes that keep The Cherry Orchard, even in our age of jonesing to burn it all down, so miraculously delicate and devastating.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
People have always looked for errant glimmers of the dead in the world around them, but now the past runs parallel to — imprints upon, and circles around — the present to a degree that can severely confuse the relationship between the two.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 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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Style

“Whiffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiffs. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of whiffs

noun

verb

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