whiffle

[hwif-uh l, wif-]

verb (used without object), whif·fled, whif·fling.

to blow in light or shifting gusts or puffs, as the wind; veer or toss about irregularly.
to shift about; vacillate; be fickle.

verb (used with object), whif·fled, whif·fling.

to blow with light, shifting gusts.

Origin of whiffle

First recorded in 1550–60; whiff¹ + -le

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for whiffling

wobble, shake, lurch, careen, teeter, falter, reel, waffle, seesaw, waver, fluctuate, dither, oscillate, hesitate, pause, vacillate, tremble, vary, sway, quiver

Examples from the Web for whiffling

Historical Examples of whiffling

Tom anybody will do, so long as they are not of this whiffling century.
The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb
Charles Lamb
What shameful pimping to the whiffling understandings of the timid!
Pamphlets and Parodies on Political Subjects
William Hone
It was the whiffling energy of the tornado that alone saved her.
Jack Tier or The Florida Reef
James Fenimore Cooper
"I know nothing to compare with the whiffling of the north star," said Sancho, promptly.
Mercedes of Castile
J. Fenimore Cooper
A convulsive squeeze and creaking, whiffling sounds heralded a fresh outburst.
Beyond
John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for whiffling

whiffle

verb

(intr) to think or behave in an erratic or unpredictable way
to blow or be blown fitfully or in gusts
(intr) to whistle softly

Word Origin for whiffle

C16: frequentative 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 whiffling

whiffle

"flicker or flutter as if blown by the wind," 1660s; see whiff. The noun meaning "something light or insignificant" (1670s) is preserved in whiffle-ball (1931).