1
a
: a quick puff or slight gust especially of air, odor, gas, smoke, or spray
b
: an inhalation of odor, gas, or smoke
c
: a slight puffing or whistling sound
2
: a slight trace or indication
a whiff of scandal
3
whiffed; whiffing; whiffs
1
: to move with or as if with a puff of air
3
: to inhale an odor
1
2
: fan sense 8
whiffed three batters
Synonyms
Examples of whiff in a Sentence
Noun
I got a whiff of new paint when I entered the room.
I detected a whiff of sarcasm in her voice.
The pitcher had eight whiffs during the game.
Verb
He whiffed a strong odor of perfume.
The golfer nearly whiffed the shot.
The golfer nearly whiffed on the shot.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025
The whiff of distant campfire smoke in my nostrils.
—Chris Colin, AFAR Media, 31 Jan. 2025
Justin Birnbaum, Forbes, 7 Feb. 2025
Queen missed 6 of 13, graduate student small forward Selton Miguel whiffed on his only two attempts and Reese missed 1 of 11.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for whiff 
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Noun
Hollywood is ultra-sensitive about the use of generative AI in the creation of literally anything, and any whiff of it creates a storm of controversy.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025
The whiff of distant campfire smoke in my nostrils.
—Chris Colin, AFAR Media, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
The organization’s football operations and scouting departments had struggled, letting future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Reggie White leave for the Green Bay Packers in 1993 and whiffing on his replacement, Leonard Renfro, with a first-round draft pick that same year.
—Justin Birnbaum, Forbes, 7 Feb. 2025
Queen missed 6 of 13, graduate student small forward Selton Miguel whiffed on his only two attempts and Reese missed 1 of 11.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for whiff
Dictionary Entries Near whiff
Cite this Entry
“Whiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiff. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whiff
1 of 2 noun
ˈhwif 
ˈwif
1
: a quick puff or slight gust
a whiff of air
2
: a small quantity of odor, gas, or smoke that is breathed in
whiff
2 of 2 verb1
: to blow out or away in small amounts
2
: to breathe in an odor
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