1
: a capricious or eccentric and often sudden idea or turn of the mind : fancy
quit his job on a whim
2
: a large capstan that is made with one or more radiating arms to which a horse may be yoked and that is used in mines for raising ore or water
Synonyms
Examples of whim in a Sentence
It's hard to predict voters' whims.
on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream
Recent Examples on the Web
The third category was a small but influential group of MAGA true believers and chaos agents who sought to carry out Trump’s whims without any clarification or regard for the consequences.
—
Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
On traditional platforms, content can be removed or suppressed based on the whims of the platform’s owners or external pressures.
—Gary Weinstein, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
To build houses, they were forced to lease land from the former enslavers who at a whim could terminate their employment or kick them off the land.
—Farah Nibbs, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2024
For weeks, some 40 million Brazilian X users have been beholden to the whims of Elon Musk and the country’s government.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whim 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
On traditional platforms, content can be removed or suppressed based on the whims of the platform’s owners or external pressures.
—Gary Weinstein, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
To build houses, they were forced to lease land from the former enslavers who at a whim could terminate their employment or kick them off the land.
—Farah Nibbs, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2024
For weeks, some 40 million Brazilian X users have been beholden to the whims of Elon Musk and the country’s government.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whim
Dictionary Entries Near whim
Cite this Entry
“Whim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whim. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whim
noun
ˈhwim 
ˈwim
: an odd or sudden wish, desire, or change of mind
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share