whiff
IPA: wˈɪf
noun
- A brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air; a waft.
- A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially when accompanied by smoke from a cigarette or pipe.
- (by extension, archaic) A cigarette or small cigar.
- An odour (usually unpleasant) carried briefly through the air.
- A small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.; specifically (obsolete), chiefly in take the whiff: a puff of tobacco smoke.
- A flag used as a signal.
- Any of a number of flatfish such as (dated) the lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) and now, especially, the megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) and (with a descriptive word) a species of large-tooth flounder or sand flounder (family Paralichthyidae).
- (figuratively)
- A slight sign of something; a burst, a glimpse, a hint.
- A slight attack or touch.
- A characteristic quality of something; a flavour, a savour, a taste.
- A sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle.
- (sports, chiefly US, slang) A failure to hit a ball in various sports (for example, golf); a miss.
- (baseball) From the batter's perspective: a strike.
- (archaic) An expulsion of explosive or shot.
- (nautical) An outrigged boat for one person propelled by oar.
- (obsolete) A sip of an alcoholic beverage.
verb
- (transitive)
- To carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air; to blow, puff, or waft away.
- To say (something) with an exhalation of breath.
- To inhale or exhale (smoke from tobacco, etc.) from a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement; to smoke (a cigarette, pipe, etc.); to puff.
- To breathe in or sniff (an odour); to smell.
- (slang)
- (archaic or dated) To shoot (someone) with a firearm; hence, to assassinate or kill (someone).
- (US, baseball) Of a pitcher: to strike out (a batter); to fan.
- (obsolete) To consume (an alcoholic beverage).
- (intransitive)
- To move in a way that causes a light gust of air, or a whistling sound.
- To be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air; to waft.
- To smoke a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement.
- To smell; to sniff.
- To give off or have an unpleasant smell; to stink.
- (US, chiefly sports) Especially in baseball or golf: to completely miss hitting a ball; hence (baseball), of a batter: to strike out; to fan.
- (by extension) To fail spectacularly.
- (video games) In fighting games, to execute a move that fails to hit the opponent.
- (fishing) To catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat.
adjective
- (informal) Having a strong or unpleasant odour.
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Examples of "whiff" in Sentences
No Sentences Found for whiff
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