noun
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a sudden, passing, and often fanciful idea; impulsive or irrational thought
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a horse-drawn winch formerly used in mining to lift ore or water
Etymology
Origin of whim
First recorded in 1635–45; short for whim-wham
Explanation
A whim is an odd or fanciful idea, something kooky you suddenly decide to do, like dress up like a chicken or drive to Vegas. A whim can be a sudden impulse or a change of mind, like if you go shopping for school clothes but instead buy a pink cowboy hat. Whim is a shortened version of the equally silly sounding whim wham which means "fanciful object," like a tiny snow globe that plays "Hava Nagila." If you go for a drive on a whim, you could wind up anywhere, perhaps even back to the store to return that snow globe.
Vocabulary lists containing whim
List 6
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Wonder
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The case pitted McGlockton’s right to defend his family from a threatening stranger against Drejka’s right to initiate a confrontation over a parking spot and then to mete out justice according to his own whim.
From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026
On a whim, I decided to see what the best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 are year to date.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
And he has a great plan, whatever it is at any given moment to satisfy wherever his latest whim has taken him.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
Most online wargames allow anyone anywhere to play on a whim and, if killed, pop back to life and play again as if previous history never happened.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
The whim of a rich and famous girl.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
