as in notion
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whim
The decision to compile the montage came on a whim.
—
Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Aug. 2025
For anyone who’s ever fantasized about riding horseback on a beach with a salty breeze blowing in the air, this is the place to satisfy your wildest whims.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 July 2025
While any dietary restrictions and allergies are checked upon ordering, the rest is up to the whims of David and his kitchen staff.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 18 July 2025
No business can operate successfully in a system where the president's personal whims determine regulatory outcomes and government access.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for whim
Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Aug. 2025
For anyone who’s ever fantasized about riding horseback on a beach with a salty breeze blowing in the air, this is the place to satisfy your wildest whims.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 July 2025
While any dietary restrictions and allergies are checked upon ordering, the rest is up to the whims of David and his kitchen staff.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 18 July 2025
No business can operate successfully in a system where the president's personal whims determine regulatory outcomes and government access.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for whim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whim
Noun
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Anybody walking the convention floor will immediately be dispelled of the notion that events like GalaxyCon are only for teenaged boys and middle-aged men nostalgic for their own youth.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Newhouse refuted the notion that people were going to lose access to health care.—
Saige Miller,
NPR,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The caprice of the wind was the only reason there was evidence to recover in the first place.—
Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Trump ran as a populist, but his actions in office have built a new élite shaped by his personal preference and caprice.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims’ families and colleagues.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Ed Jamison, the CEO of Operation Kindness, shared his thoughts on Rado’s press and the animal welfare and adoption crisis.—
Clea Haran,
Parents,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Vape shops have spread across the American retail landscape with a bizarre swiftness, seemingly unbeholden to the same vagaries of inflation, customer demand, and local real estate that bind every other kind of storefront small business in the country.—
Amanda Mull,
The Atlantic,
22 June 2023
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Third, repeaters should prove capable of swapping this data between nodes in a network in a predictable way and not one too subject to the vagaries of chance.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
13 June 2023
Noun
-
There are people dressed as recognizable characters from comic books, fantasy movies and TV shows and video games.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
16 Aug. 2025
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Of course, Jon Snow is actually a Targaryen and ends up in a romantic relationship with his aunt, Daenerys Targaryen, in the final seasons of HBO’s hit fantasy drama.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Director Rhiannon Ragland mostly gets out of the way and lets the script do its work, but plays up the whimsy of the scenario and delivers the pain of things in easy-to-digest doses.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
30 July 2025
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New exhibits at public gardens across the country have gone all-in on whimsy, through both plantings and garden art.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 July 2025
Noun
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Afterward, head into Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, or Jacksonville for whatever suits your fancy—big-city restaurants and culture or beachy small-town charm.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
9 Aug. 2025
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Every turning point so far has been based around his personal choice and fancy.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whim. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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