waft

American  

[waft, wahft] / wæft, wɑft /

verb (used with object)

1. to carry lightly and smoothly through the air or over water.

   The gentle breeze wafted the sound of music to our ears.

2. to send or convey lightly, as if in flight.

   The actress wafted kisses to her admirers in the audience.

3. Obsolete. to signal to, summon, or direct by waving.

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verb (used without object)

1. to float or be carried, especially through the air.

   The sound wafted on the breeze. The music wafted across the lake.

noun

1. a sound, odor, etc., faintly perceived.

   a waft of perfume.

2. a wafting movement; light current or gust.

   a waft of air.

3. the act of wafting.

4. Nautical. Also a signal given by waving a flag.

waft British  

/ wɒft, wɑːft /

verb

1. to carry or be carried gently on or as if on the air or water

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noun

1. the act or an instance of wafting

2. something, such as a scent, carried on the air

3. a wafting motion

4. Also called: waif.  nautical (formerly) a signal flag hoisted furled to signify various messages depending on where it was flown

Other Word Forms

• unwafted adjective
• waftage noun
• wafter noun

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.

Example Sentences

Equipment makers are developing machines that are more energy-efficient, and ventilation systems that waft aroma through the lobby—an old-school marketing tactic that still does the trick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

“If I get low enough, there will be a waft of methane,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025

There's no familiar, powerful waft of cocoa when opening this bag of sweets, the packet of biscuits, or the caramel-filled truffles.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2025

Singaporean poet Hsien Min Toh's poem, Durians, opens by referring to the fruit's "unmistakeable waft: like garbage and onions and liquid petroleum gas all mixed in one".

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2024

I burp bioloaf, and a waft of alfalfa and disinfectant fills the air around me.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Related Words

• drift
• float