waft
Americanverb (used with object)
-
wafts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wafted,
past participle, past
-
wafting
present participle
-
to carry lightly and smoothly through the air or over water.
The gentle breeze wafted the sound of music to our ears.
-
to send or convey lightly, as if in flight.
The actress wafted kisses to her admirers in the audience.
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Obsolete. to signal to, summon, or direct by waving.
verb (used without object)
-
wafts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wafted,
past participle, past
-
wafting
present participle
noun
-
wafts
plural
-
a sound, odor, etc., faintly perceived.
a waft of perfume.
-
a wafting movement; light current or gust.
a waft of air.
-
the act of wafting.
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Nautical. Also a signal given by waving a flag.
verb
noun
-
the act or an instance of wafting
-
something, such as a scent, carried on the air
-
a wafting motion
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Also called: waif. nautical (formerly) a signal flag hoisted furled to signify various messages depending on where it was flown
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
waftsimple
-
waftssimple
-
have waftedperfect
-
has waftedperfect
-
am waftingprogressive
-
are waftingprogressive
-
is waftingprogressive
-
have been waftingperfect progressive
-
has been waftingperfect progressive
Past
-
waftedsimple
-
had waftedperfect
-
was waftingprogressive
-
were waftingprogressive
-
had been waftingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of waft
1535–45; back formation from late Middle English waughter armed escort vessel < Dutch or Low German wachter watchman; in some senses confused with waff
Explanation
When your grandmother cooks her famous spaghetti sauce, many wonderful smells may waft from the kitchen. In other words, the air will gently carry this familiar aroma throughout the house. Though the verb waft usually involves movement through air, it has watery roots. A "wafter" was a convoy ship in the 16th century, and these words may have derived from the similar looking wave. Waft can refer to scents, sounds, and even smoke. So, if your grandmother’s sauce begins to burn, smoke could waft from the kitchen as well.
Vocabulary lists containing waft
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List 8
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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:
It also isn’t uncommon for wildfire smoke from the U.S. to waft into Canada.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
I inhale, letting new smells — something minty and palo santo-y, maybe? — waft over me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
It was malleable and oblong, perfectly complemented by a waft of boy-next-door blond locks and a brow that could convey emotion just as well as any histrionic soap dialogue.
From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2026
“If I get low enough, there will be a waft of methane,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
“Look up,” said the bear, as a waft of breeze moved aside the heavy curtain of the fog.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
The scent of Mexican spiced coffee brewed in a clay pot wafts through the front room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
"Life is short as a drying drop of water. Don't be sad," a singer's voice wafts into the street.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
But this is not a blood-and-guts show business exposé — it’s a diaphanous portrait of a woman who, like Anderson herself, wafts through life like a marabou feather.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
In the opening credits of “Gladiator II,” an oil painting of Omorogbe’s unnamed fighter wafts across the screen, promising, perhaps, a new generation of gladiatrices.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2024
The president’s grating tone wafts up to my room.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
The Dodgers had lost Saturday, so the sounds of “California Stars” wafted through Dodger Stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"Still, being together with our people again, coming home is such a blessing," she said, as the smell of incense wafted through her house, out towards jasmine trees in bloom.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Mr. Williams, a chef based in New York, was born and raised in a beachside village on St. Vincent, where the smell of kitchen smoke often wafted in the breeze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
On Thursday morning, over 100 artists, gallerists and collectors representing 24 countries wafted into the maze that is Frieze at the Santa Monica Airport and transformed the space into a winding runway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
The Incorrigibles jumped up and down, waving their dusters so vigorously that the loose feathers wafted down like snow.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Growing up in southwest France, where her father made wine and her mother operated a bed-and-breakfast, Ms. de Ferrier enjoyed how the fragrance of the château’s garden swirled with the scents wafting from the kitchen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
In protest, Cocker jumped on stage, wiggled his bottom at the cameras, made a strange wafting gesture with his hands and made a hasty exit, pursued by Jackson's security team.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
Taken along with the overall stink that still hangs on the Globes, which joins the general toxicity wafting in the air a mere 11 days into 2026, however, it’s all pretty deflating.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2026
One woman walked wordlessly through the neighborhood, wafting a smudge stick of burning sage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2025
The hideous stench wafting up from Susie’s backside would surely be a deal-breaker.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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.
