whiff
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whiff
(wĭf, hwĭf)n.
1.
a. A brief, passing odor carried in the air: a whiff of perfume.
b. A very small trace: a whiff of self-pity in her remarks.
2. An inhalation, as of air or smoke: Take a whiff of this pipe.
3. A slight, gentle gust of air; a waft: A whiff of cool air blew into the room.
4. Baseball A strikeout.
v. whiffed, whiff·ing, whiffs
v.intr.
1. To be carried in brief gusts; waft: puffs of smoke whiffing from the chimney.
2. Sports To swing at and miss a ball or puck.
3. Baseball To strike out. Used of a batter.
v.tr.
1. To inhale through the nose; sniff: a dog whiffing the air.
2. Baseball To strike out (a batter).
[Perhaps alteration of Middle English weffe, offensive smell.]
whiff′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
whiff
(wɪf)n
1. a passing odour
2. a brief gentle gust of air
3. (Physiology) a single inhalation or exhalation from the mouth or nose
vb
4. to come, convey, or go in whiffs; puff or waft
5. (Physiology) to take in or breathe out (tobacco smoke, air, etc)
6. (Physiology) (tr) to sniff or smell
7. (intr) slang Brit to have an unpleasant smell; stink
[C16: of imitative origin]
ˈwhiffer n
whiff
(wɪf)n
(Nautical Terms) chiefly Brit a narrow clinker-built skiff having outriggers, for one oarsman
[C19: special use of whiff1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
whiff
(ʰwɪf, wɪf)n.
1. a slight gust or puff of wind, air, vapor, smoke, or the like.
2. a slight trace of odor or smell: a whiff of onions.
3. a single inhalation or exhalation of air, tobacco smoke, etc.
4. a trace or hint: a whiff of scandal.
v.i. 5. to blow or come in whiffs or puffs, as wind or smoke.
6. to inhale or exhale whiffs, as in smoking tobacco.
7. Baseball. fan1 (def. 15).
v.t. 8. to blow or drive with a whiff or puff, as the wind does.
9. to inhale or exhale (air, tobacco smoke, etc.) in whiffs.
10. to smoke (a pipe, cigar, etc.).
11. Baseball. fan1 (def. 11).
[1585–95; of expressive orig.; compare Middle English weffe whiff of steam]
whiff′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
whiff
Past participle: whiffed
Gerund: whiffing
| Imperative |
|---|
| whiff |
| whiff |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  whiff - a short light gust of air |
| 2. | whiff - a lefteye flounder found in coastal waters from New England to Brazil lefteye flounder, lefteyed flounder - flatfishes with both eyes on the left side of the head Citharichthys, genus Citharichthys - a genus of Bothidae Citharichthys cornutus, horned whiff - a whiff found in waters from the Bahamas and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil | |
| 3. | whiff - a strikeout resulting from the batter swinging at and missing the ball for the third strike strikeout - an out resulting from the batter getting three strikes | |
| Verb | 1. | whiff - perceive by inhaling through the nose; "sniff the perfume" smell - inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense |
| 2. | whiff - drive or carry as if by a puff of air; "The gust of air whiffed away the clouds" blow - cause to move by means of an air current; "The wind blew the leaves around in the yard" | |
| 3. | whiff - strike out by swinging and missing the pitch charged as the third baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the area"; "play ball!" strike out - put out or be put out by a strikeout; "Oral struck out three batters to close the inning" | |
| 4. | whiff - smoke and exhale strongly; "puff a cigar"; "whiff a pipe" smoke - inhale and exhale smoke from cigarettes, cigars, pipes; "We never smoked marijuana"; "Do you smoke?" | |
| 5. | whiff - utter with a puff of air; "whiff out a prayer" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
whiff
noun
verb
1. (Brit. slang) stink, stench, reek, pong (Brit. informal), niff (Brit. slang), malodour, hum (slang) the nauseating whiff of rotting flesh
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
whiff
nounverb
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
نَسْمَة هواء، نَفْحَه
pust
fuvallat
púst, blástur, smágustur, dauf lykt
dūmelis
dvesmapūsma
hafif esinti/koku
whiff
[wɪf]A. N
1. (= smell) → olorcito m; (= nasty) → tufillo
a faint whiff of mothballs → un leve olorcito a bolas de naftalina
to catch a whiff of sth → oler algo
a whiff of grapeshot → un poco de metralla
what a whiff! → ¡qué tufo!
a faint whiff of mothballs → un leve olorcito a bolas de naftalina
to catch a whiff of sth → oler algo
a whiff of grapeshot → un poco de metralla
what a whiff! → ¡qué tufo!
2. (= sniff, mouthful) to go out for a whiff of air → salir a tomar el fresco
not a whiff of wind → ni el menor soplo de viento
not a whiff of wind → ni el menor soplo de viento
3. (fig) [of scandal, corruption] → indicio m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
whiff
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
whiff
[wɪf] n (of gas, sth unpleasant) → zaffata; (of sea air, perfume) → odore mto catch a whiff of sth → sentire l'odore di qc
a few whiffs of this could knock you out → se annusi un po' di questo svieni
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
whiff
(wif) noun a sudden puff (of air, smoke, smell etc). a whiff of petrol; a whiff of cigar smoke.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.