whit
Americannoun
noun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of whit
1470–80; perhaps alteration of Middle English wiht wight 1
Explanation
Whit means a small tiny part of something. If you don't even have a whit of courage, you are most likely a chicken. Whit indicates a bit of something, and usually something abstract like a feeling or emotion. You might feel the last whit of your confidence depart when your teacher hands out the 32-page final exam. Don't confuse whit with wit, meaning mental sharpness or keen sense of humor. Let's hope you have more than a whit of wit in your personality!
Vocabulary lists containing whit
Julius Caesar
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Tuck Everlasting
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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.
See Examples For:
Speculators, in contrast, care not a whit for cash flow; they are focused instead on future stock prices.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2025
As I argue in my new book, at the time of the stand of the 300 at Thermopylae, the Spartans cared not a whit for freedom or liberating others.
From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2024
It won’t make a whit of difference in the outcome.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2022
With few exceptions I don’t think he cares a whit about policy and ideology.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2022
His voice was flat, as if he did not care a whit whether the king believed him or no.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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Whit has his own key, which he is holding on to for now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Whit Clay, a spokesman for Elysium and Black, said Elysium “had a limited investment” with JPMorgan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
This essentially flat proposal was “much worse than expected,” wrote Leerink Partners analyst Whit Mayo in a note.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
“There’s no doubt in my mind who I want to be our quarterback,” McVay said on the Fitz & Whit podcast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025
"And I'm waiting on y'all to start," Whit threw right back, one-two-three-ing forward.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.