whiff

¹ American  

[hwif, wif] / ʰwɪf, wɪf /

noun

1. a trace or hint.

   a whiff of scandal.

2. a slight trace of odor or smell.

   a whiff of onions.

3. a slight gust or puff of wind, air, vapor, smoke, or the like.

   a whiff of fresh air.

4. a single inhalation or exhalation of air, tobacco smoke, or the like.

   I tried smoking once, but had a coughing fit after the first whiff and gave up.

5. a slight outburst.

   a little whiff of temper.

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verb (used without object)

whiffs, present (3rd person singular) whiffed, past participle, past whiffing present participle

1. to blow or come in light puffs, such as of wind or smoke.

   A breeze whiffed through the clearing, cooling our faces.

2. to inhale or exhale in light puffs, such as when smoking tobacco.

   She was sitting on the porch, whiffing on a cigarette.

3. to move swiftly through the air, creating a slight breeze or swishing sound.

   The ball whiffed past my head and into the net.

4. Baseball.

   1. to swing without hitting the ball.

      He’s whiffed at 30 percent of pitches this season.

   2. (of a batter) to strike out by swinging at and missing the pitch charged as the third strike.

5. Informal. to fail in an effort or get something wrong.

   This economic think tank has whiffed on every prediction for the last decade.

verb (used with object)

whiffs, present (3rd person singular) whiffed, past participle, past whiffing present participle

1. to blow or drive with light puffs, as the wind does.

2. to inhale or exhale (air, tobacco smoke, etc.) in light puffs.

3. to smoke (a pipe, cigar, etc.).

4. Baseball. (of a pitcher) to cause (a batter) to swing at a pitch and miss or to strike out.

5. Informal. to fail at or in; get wrong.

   The book had a great beginning, but lost steam as it progressed, and totally whiffed the ending.

   He’s whiffed every opportunity we gave him.

6. to catch a slight scent or hint of; sniff; smell.

   I broke a small branch off the lilac bush and whiffed the blooms as I walked.

whiff ² American  

[hwif, wif] / ʰwɪf, wɪf /

noun

1. any of several flatfishes having both eyes on the left side of the head, of the genus Citharichthys, as C. cornutus horned whiff, inhabiting Atlantic waters from New England to Brazil.

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whiff ¹ British  

/ wɪf /

noun

1. a passing odour

2. a brief gentle gust of air

3. a single inhalation or exhalation from the mouth or nose

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verb

1. to come, convey, or go in whiffs; puff or waft

2. to take in or breathe out (tobacco smoke, air, etc)

3. (tr) to sniff or smell

4. slang (intr) to have an unpleasant smell; stink

whiff ² British  

/ wɪf /

noun

1. a narrow clinker-built skiff having outriggers, for one oarsman

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• whiffer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• whiffing
  present
• whiffed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• whiff
  simple
• whiffs
  simple
• have whiffed
  perfect
• has whiffed
  perfect
• are whiffing
  progressive
• am whiffing
  progressive
• is whiffing
  progressive
• have been whiffing
  perfect progressive
• has been whiffing
  perfect progressive

Past

• whiffed
  simple
• had whiffed
  perfect
• was whiffing
  progressive
• were whiffing
  progressive
• had been whiffing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will whiff
  simple
• will have whiffed
  perfect
• will be whiffing
  progressive
• will have been whiffing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of whiff¹

First recorded in 1600–10; origin uncertain; perhaps a variant of Middle English wef, wef(f)e “bad smell, stench”

Origin of whiff²

First recorded in 1705–15; origin uncertain

Explanation

A whiff can mean the hint of something you smell. When you drive past the sewage treatment plant and suddenly roll up your car windows, it's usually because you've gotten a whiff of the plant's special odor. Whiff can be used as either a noun or verb, and it implies a brief or small puff or sniff. A person can have "a whiff of the exotic," which means they are living like the rest of us, but there is a little something about them that seems foreign or different. Sometimes, of course, odors are so overpowering that a small sniff is all you need: "Take a whiff of this," your friend might say to you, holding out a carton of sour milk. In that case, one whiff will be more than enough.

Example Sentences

Kludjian is founder of the Los Angeles candle company Whiff and came to the event to network.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Whiff and the consequences could last for years.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2019

Whiff of Trouble My significant other seems to have stopped brushing his teeth regularly.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2012

Wright’s Recovery Has an Air of Whiff After a year’s sabbatical, ’s power numbers have returned to him like an old lost cat.

From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2010

There was no trace of the Whiff or of the other pair of Eyes.

From The Wave An Egyptian Aftermath by Blackwood, Algernon

Related Words

• aroma
• breath
• fume
• hint
• odor
• puff
• scent