whiff

1 of 2

noun

ˈ(h)wif 

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

: strikeout

whiff

2 of 2

verb

whiffed; whiffing; whiffs

intransitive verb

1

: to move with or as if with a puff of air

2

: to emit whiffs : puff

3

: to inhale an odor

4

: strike out sense 3

transitive verb

1

a

: to carry or convey by or as if by a whiff : blow

b

: to expel or puff out in a whiff : exhale

c

: smoke sense 3

2

: fan sense 8

whiffed three batters

Synonyms

Noun

• breath
• flicker
• glimmer
• hint
• suggestion
• tang
• touch
• trace

Verb

• nose
• scent
• smell
• sniff
• snuff

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

Noun

With an elite whiff rate (see stat to note) and miniscule platoon splits — a .541 OPS against righties in 2024 and a .456 against lefties — Adam is more than capable of either role. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025

Tigers relievers had only a 25.9 percent whiff rate last season (21st in the league) and ranked 24th with a 21.8 percent strikeout rate. —Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025

Verb

After whiffing on Juan Soto earlier this offseason, Santander would be a fine consolation prize. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025

And the Ravens’ Jackson (32nd overall) snuck into the 2018 first round in one of the all-time evaluation whiffs by the entire league. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1591, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing whiff

• skew-whiff

Kids 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 verb

1

: to blow out or away in small amounts

2

: to breathe in an odor