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
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
The tone-setting sequence put Cabrera into cruise control, getting a mix of whiffs and soft contact to limit the Angels to just one hit in six shutout innings en route to a 7-2 Cubs victory.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The slider generated three whiffs on 11 swings.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 28 Mar. 2026
The 25-year-old, who burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2025, held the Giants to one hit, a second-inning double from Heliot Ramos, and refused to issue a free pass while tallying 13 whiffs.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
Glasnow was consistently making Angels hitters swing and miss at his breaking balls – 13 of the Angels’ 18 swings (72%) against his curveball were whiffs and Glasnow drew a 43% whiff rate with his slider.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Glasnow’s curveball played a large role, generating 13 whiffs.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
His slider and changeup, used 23 total times, were unhittable, generating seven whiffs on seven swings.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
Ten minutes in, the new pitch began eliciting whiffs, altering the conversation in the coaches’ room.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
Padres starter Michael King racked up 12 swing-and-misses in 5 2/3 innings, including three straight whiffs by Trevor Story, which left Rafaela stranded on second at the end of the third inning.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
The tone-setting sequence put Cabrera into cruise control, getting a mix of whiffs and soft contact to limit the Angels to just one hit in six shutout innings en route to a 7-2 Cubs victory.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The slider generated three whiffs on 11 swings.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 28 Mar. 2026
The 25-year-old, who burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2025, held the Giants to one hit, a second-inning double from Heliot Ramos, and refused to issue a free pass while tallying 13 whiffs.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
Glasnow was consistently making Angels hitters swing and miss at his breaking balls – 13 of the Angels’ 18 swings (72%) against his curveball were whiffs and Glasnow drew a 43% whiff rate with his slider.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Glasnow’s curveball played a large role, generating 13 whiffs.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
His slider and changeup, used 23 total times, were unhittable, generating seven whiffs on seven swings.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
Ten minutes in, the new pitch began eliciting whiffs, altering the conversation in the coaches’ room.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
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Researchers are now exploring Greenland shark genetics for clues about aging, finding hints of enhanced DNA repair and cellular maintenance that could slow aging at a fundamental level.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
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Researchers exploring Greenland shark genetics have found hints of enhanced DNA repair and cellular maintenance that could slow aging at a fundamental level.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The air smells damp and jungly (in the best possible way) and is sweetened with a hint of frangipani.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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The store is small, independently run and smells oh-so good.—
Samantha Husted,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Little touches include a selection of books focused on native flora and fauna and art depicting local landscapes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Spurs are ranked 14th for big chances (as defined by Opta) in the Premier League and are 12th for touches in the opposition box.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the video, Chilli sniffs large bricks to locate the scent a trainer shared with him.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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Tovar is the one officer who immediately sniffs out that there’s something weird about Gacy, and Luna incrementally nudges the character further and further into obsession.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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But there are glimmers of hope beyond the carnage, too.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Mar. 2026
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Following three straight 100-loss seasons that led to a front-office house cleaning, Rockies fans are peering down the road for glimmers of hope.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But most of all, Australia showed flickers of the joy that fueled Hamilton for so much of his F1 success in the past.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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The Bobcats showed flickers of promise, nearly defeating Troy and Georgia Southern in the regular season.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whiffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiffs. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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