Whiff definition

wĭf, hwĭf
whiffed whiffing whiffs
See word origin
Frequency:
To inhale through the nose; sniff.

A dog whiffing the air.

verb
4
1
(baseball) To strike out. Used of a batter.
verb
3
1
(informal) A complete miss when attempting to hit something, as a golf ball, with a swinging motion.
noun
3
1
(baseball) A strikeout.
noun
2
0
A brief, passing odor carried in the air.

A whiff of perfume.

noun
2
0
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A very small trace.

A whiff of self-pity in her remarks.

noun
1
0
To be carried in brief gusts; waft.

Puffs of smoke whiffing from the chimney.

verb
1
0
(sports) To swing at and miss a ball or puck.
verb
1
0
(baseball) To strike out (a batter).
verb
1
0
A light puff or gust of air or wind; breath.
noun
1
0
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(informal) To miss completely when attempting to hit something, as a golf ball, with a swinging motion.
verb
1
0
A slight wave or gust of odor; faint, momentary smell.

A whiff of garlic.

noun
0
0
A faint indication; hint; trace.

A whiff of scandal.

noun
0
0
To blow or propel (tobacco smoke, etc.) with a puff or gust; waft.
verb
0
0
To blow or move in puffs, as in smoking.
verb
0
0
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(slang) To strike out in baseball.
verb
0
0
A waft; a brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air.
noun
0
0
An odour carried briefly through the air.
noun
0
0
A short inhalation of breath, especially of smoke from a cigarette or pipe.
noun
0
0
(figuratively) A slight sign of something; a glimpse.
noun
0
0
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(baseball) A strike (from the batter's perspective)
noun
0
0
The megrim, a fish Lepidorhombus boscii or Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis.
noun
0
0
To waft.
verb
0
0
To sniff.
verb
0
0
(intransitive, baseball) To strike out.
verb
0
0
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(slang) To attempt to strike and miss, especially being off-balance/vulnerable after missing.
verb
0
0
To throw out in whiffs; to consume in whiffs; to puff.
verb
0
0
To carry or convey by a whiff, or as by a whiff; to puff or blow away.
verb
0
0
(colloquial) Having a strong or unpleasant odor.
adjective
0
0
Whiff is defined as to blow smoke in puffs.

When you blow smoke in front of someone while smoking, this is an example of when you whiff.

verb
0
1
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The definition of a whiff is a slight odor, or a puff of something.

When you catch a brief hint of the odor of coffee in the morning from the coffee shop downstairs, this is an example of when you catch a whiff of coffee.

If you sneak out to meet your boyfriend and feel like you are taking a big risk, this is an example of when there is a whiff of danger.

noun
0
1
An inhalation, as of air or smoke.

Take a whiff of this pipe.

noun
0
1
A slight, gentle gust of air; a waft.

A whiff of cool air blew into the room.

noun
0
1
An inhaling or exhaling, as of tobacco smoke.
noun
0
1

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
whiff
Plural:
whiffs

Origin of whiff

  • Perhaps alteration of Middle English weffe offensive smell

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Whiff Sentence Examples

  • She saw their expressions change as they got a whiff of her blood.

  • The whiff of Katie.s blood nearly undid him.

  • Pulling Alex's pillow from the bed, Carmen caught the faint whiff of his cologne.

  • She ghosted up beside him, standing close enough to catch a whiff of his cologne.

  • In that world some structure was still being erected and did not fall, something was still stretching out, and the candle with its red halo was still burning, and the same shirtlike sphinx lay near the door; but besides all this something creaked, there was a whiff of fresh air, and a new white sphinx appeared, standing at the door.

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Words near whiff in the Dictionary