whiff

[ hwif, wif ]

/ ʰwɪf, wɪf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR whiff ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a slight gust or puff of wind, air, vapor, smoke, or the like: a whiff of fresh air.

a slight trace of odor or smell: a whiff of onions.

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

a trace or hint: a whiff of scandal.

a slight outburst: a little whiff of temper.

verb (used without object)

to blow or come in whiffs or puffs, as wind or smoke.

to inhale or exhale whiffs, as in smoking tobacco.

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

verb (used with object)

to blow or drive with a whiff or puff, as the wind does.

to inhale or exhale (air, tobacco smoke, etc.) in whiffs.

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

Baseball Slang. (of a pitcher) to cause (a batter) to whiff.

Nearby words

Origin of whiff

1585–95; aspirated variant of Middle English weffe whiff (of steam or vapor)

Related formswhiff·er, noun

whiff

[ hwif, wif ]

/ ʰwɪf, wɪf /

noun

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.

Compare left-eyed flounder.

Origin of whiff

First recorded in 1705–15; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whiff

There were stories of distant strife, in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Northern Ireland, and those stories had the whiff of a different era.
The Best Columns of 2014|John Avlon, Errol Louis|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nobody should waste their time penning letters that any pediatrician with a whiff of insight will ignore.
Kids Don’t Know How Overweight They Really Are|Russell Saunders|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But alongside all the true-fandom, a whiff of regret lingers.
Why The Tea Party Won’t Go Away And More Wisdom From Matt Kibbe|Michael Signer|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2010, she revived the war crimes tribunal: nearly four decades after the crimes, a whiff of justice.
Bangladesh’s Radical Islamists Get U.S. Backing|Kapil Komireddi|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And while worldly success sometimes has a whiff of demonic patronage, identification is dangerous.
The Devil and Antonin Scalia|Candida Moss|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
You have not had a whiff with me for a long time, and here is a new church-warden waiting to be broken in.
The Fourth Watch|H. A. Cody
It just goes "whiff" and six or eight long letters are done, so far as you're concerned.
The Letters of William James, Vol. II|William James
This time he was weaving no fantasy round a whiff of violets.
The Late Tenant|Louis Tracy
At the same instant a whiff of the acrid smoke from the distant furnace fires tingled in his nostrils, and he quickened his pace.
The Quickening|Francis Lynde
I always fancy there is a whiff of sea air upon the hill there.'
The Young Step-Mother|Charlotte M. Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for whiff

whiff

/ (wɪf) /

noun

a passing odour

a brief gentle gust of air

a single inhalation or exhalation from the mouth or nose

verb

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

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

(tr) to sniff or smell

(intr) British slang to have an unpleasant smell; stink

Derived Formswhiffer, noun

Word Origin for whiff

C16: of imitative origin

noun

mainly British a narrow clinker-built skiff having outriggers, for one oarsman

Word Origin for whiff

C19: special use of whiff 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for whiff

whiff

13c., weffe "foul scent or odor," of imitative origin. Modern form became popular late 16c. with tobacco smoking, probably influenced by whiffle "blow in gusts or puffs" (1560s). The verb in the baseball slang sense "to swing at a ball and miss" first recorded 1913.

whiff

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

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Origin of whiff

whiff

noun

Origin of whiff

Examples from the Web for whiff

whiff

noun

verb

Word Origin for whiff

noun

Word Origin for whiff

whiff