What does whiff mean?
Definitions for whiff
ʰwɪf, wɪfwhiff
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word whiff.
Princeton's WordNet
puff, puff of air, whiffnoun
a short light gust of air
whiffnoun
a lefteye flounder found in coastal waters from New England to Brazil
whiffverb
a strikeout resulting from the batter swinging at and missing the ball for the third strike
sniff, whiffverb
perceive by inhaling through the nose
"sniff the perfume"
whiffverb
drive or carry as if by a puff of air
"The gust of air whiffed away the clouds"
whiffverb
strike out by swinging and missing the pitch charged as the third
puff, whiffverb
smoke and exhale strongly
"puff a cigar"; "whiff a pipe"
whiffverb
utter with a puff of air
"whiff out a prayer"
Wiktionary
whiffnoun
A waft; a brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air
whiffnoun
An odour carried briefly through the air
whiffnoun
A short inhalation of breath, especially of smoke from a cigarette or pipe
whiffnoun
A strike (from the batter's perspective)
whiffnoun
The megrim, a fish with scientific name Lepidorhombus boscii or Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis
whiffverb
To waft.
whiffverb
To sniff.
whiffverb
To strike out.
whiffverb
(slang) to attempt to strike and miss, especially being off-balance/vulnerable after missing.
whiffadjective
Having a strong or unpleasant odor.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
WHIFFnoun
A blast; a puff of wind.
Etymology: chwyth, Welsh.
Pyrrhus at Priam drives, in rage strikes wide;
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword,
Th’ unnerved father falls. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.Who,
If some unsav’ry whiff betray the crime,
Invents a quarrel straight. Dryden.Three pipes after dinner he constantly smokes,
And seasons his whiffs with impertinent jokes. Matthew Prior.Nick pulled out a boatswain’s whistle: upon the first whiff the tradesmen came jumping in. Arbuthnot.
ChatGPT
whiff
A whiff is typically referred to as a scent, odor, or smell that is briefly caught or perceived. In a sport context, particularly baseball, a 'whiff' is used to denote a missed swing at a ball. In general, it can also mean a hint, trace, or small degree of something.
Webster Dictionary
Whiffnoun
a sudden expulsion of air from the mouth; a quick puff or slight gust, as of air or smoke
Whiffnoun
a glimpse; a hasty view
Whiffnoun
the marysole, or sail fluke
Whiffverb
to throw out in whiffs; to consume in whiffs; to puff
Whiffverb
to carry or convey by a whiff, or as by a whiff; to puff or blow away
Whiffverb
to emit whiffs, as of smoke; to puff
Etymology: [OE. weffe vapor, whiff, probably of imitative origin; cf. Dan. vift a puff, gust, W. chwiff a whiff, puff.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Whiff
hwif, n. a sudden puff of air or smoke from the mouth: a slight blast: a light kind of outrigger boat: (prov.) a glimpse.—v.t. to throw out in whiffs: to puff.—v.i. to go out or off in a whiff.—ns. Whiff′er; Whiff′et, a whipper-snapper.—v.i. Whiff′le, to veer about, blow in gusts: to be fickle: to prevaricate: to talk idly.—n. a fickle, light-headed person.—ns. Whiff′ler, a fickle person: a herald, usher, piper, leading the way in a procession; Whiff′lery, levity; Whift, a breath, snatch. [W. chwiff, a puff; imit.]
Whiff
hwif, v.i. to fish with a hand-line.—n. Whiff′ing. [Whip.]
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
whiff
The Rhombus cardina, a passable fish of the pleuronect genus. Also, a slight fitful breeze or transient puff of wind.
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of whiff in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of whiff in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of whiff in a Sentence
Stagflation is probably the worst word of vocabulary for financial markets because it's the worst of both worlds. Inflation stays high and the economy slows, i think we're getting a whiff of stagflation now.
A lot of us have developed a political identity different to our parents, they came here with a great antagonism to socialism and anything that has even a whiff of Soviet to it. They are very capitalist.
He would be the last person on earth I would suspect, if I would have had even of whiff of that I would have fired him and slapped him upside his head.
There's a whiff of genuine concern and social responsibility that brands and advertisers are showing.
Gods are fragile things they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for whiff
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- повей, полъхBulgarian
- HauchGerman
- bocanadas, soplo, hálitoSpanish
- henkäys, nuuhkaista, tuoksahdus, tuulahdus, lasikampela, lyödä ohi, tuulahtaaFinnish
- bouffée, souffle, effluve, cardine francheFrench
- vēsmaLatvian
- ruiken, sterk, trek, geurig, teug, adem, vlaag, geur, snuiven, geuren, vleugDutch
- дуновение, принюхиваться, мегрим, дуть, веять, затяжка, запашокRussian
- کفناUrdu
Get even more translations for whiff »
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"whiff." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 10 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/whiff>.
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