waft 1 of 2

Definition of waftnext

waft

2 of 2

verb

as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a feather wafted past us and settled on the grass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of waft
Noun
Deodorize The Trash Smelly trash may be behind lingering odors that waft throughout the house. Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 10 Feb. 2026 The ancient ritual will see smoke from smoldering native leaves waft over the island’s sandy beaches – to cleanse, and to heal. Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
Her special move was driving forward from the back and wafting in threatening crosses with her left foot. Theo Lloyd-Hughes, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026 Micron has come a long way since its humble founding nearly half a century ago in the basement of a Boise dental office, where sedative gas wafted through the floorboards and an early executive used a hair dryer to keep the company’s logo from smearing off its chips. Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 11 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for waft
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waft
Noun
  • Set the scene Soaring at 1,000 feet above sea level on the St James hills, just a 10-minute drive from the heat and bustle of the west coast’s towns and beaches, Apes Hill offers a refreshing breeze and views of both the Caribbean and Atlantic.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The strong, onshore breeze is keeping the risk of dangerous rip currents high along the Atlantic beaches.
    Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Not the good, high-altitude ozone that shields us from dangerous UV light, but bad ozone, hovering right above ground level — stinking, brownish, grayish photochemical smog.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Several hundred meters away, at the Cheonggyecheon stream, levels still hovered between 70 and 80 decibels—the intensity of a busy street or a vacuum cleaner.
    Yook JiHun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Abe Lemons won an NIT and always filled reporters’ notebooks with colorful and outlandish quotes in between puffs on his ever-present cigar.
    Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
  • The seventy-year-old filmmaker took a puff of his cigar and smiled.
    Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Valid for British Isles Explorer itineraries sailing in 2026 or 2027, or for another itinerary and extension of equal or lesser value—within the same stateroom category or lower—during the same period, if the itinerary and extension offered is not available.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Another bulk carrier, the Mac Hope, identifying itself as sailing under Chinese ownership and with a Chinese crew, also transited the strait on Monday, MarineTraffic data show.
    Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Cameron House is dreamy, in part for its location and breath-taking views and in part for its blend of baronial grandeur and modern luxury.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The show’s set, designed by Hildegard Bechtler, centers around a panel which features — in bright, yellow lettering — the day and time, taking the audience from Sunday morning to Wednesday evening, when Romeo and Juliet take their final breaths.
    Ellise Shafer, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Of all the voting changes floating around, what seems most likely at the moment is an end to or significant limit on counting mail-in ballots after Election Day.
    Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
  • In the Dominican Republic, commercial fishers sometimes place a palm tree, floating upright and attached to a buoy, in the middle of the ocean.
    Mike Kurlansky, Outside, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Wait a few hundred-thousand years, and another star will drift into our Oort cloud, perturbing it and potentially triggering new comets arriving in our inner Solar System.
    Big Think, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Even college football is drifting toward a more fragmented, paywalled future.
    Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Oceanside Lifeguard Division urged the public to use caution when entering the ocean, particularly when lifeguards are not on duty, and to avoid swimming alone.
    Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The whale then swam through it overnight, marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann said Friday, German news agency dpa reported.
    ABC News, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Waft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waft. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on waft

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster