as in hint
an almost imperceptible sign of something
even a whiff of appreciation for everything I've done for her would have been nice
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Recent Examples of whiff
Victor Mather, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Figuring this out didn’t just mean cracking open sarcophagi and taking a whiff.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 13 Feb. 2025
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Feb. 2025
Wrote Thomas Harrigan: Profar not only refined his approach at the plate, recording the lowest chase (21.9%) and whiff (17.0%) rates of his big league tenure, but also did more damage on contact than ever before.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whiff
Noun
But Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni and others say the move to bar the shove has the whiff of sour grapes.
—Victor Mather, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Figuring this out didn’t just mean cracking open sarcophagi and taking a whiff.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 13 Feb. 2025
Verb
Even if the Pats whiff on both players, there are several other free agents at their positions who deserve big paydays and could land in New England; from Buccaneers wideout Chris Godwin to Chiefs receiver Marquise Brown and Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Feb. 2025
Wrote Thomas Harrigan: Profar not only refined his approach at the plate, recording the lowest chase (21.9%) and whiff (17.0%) rates of his big league tenure, but also did more damage on contact than ever before.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whiff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whiff
Noun
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Looking for Saturday’s Wordle hints, clues and answer?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone, so be sure to check back with Newsweek daily for more hints, clues and answers.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The girl’s breath smelled of sleep, just slightly stale—no time for mouthwash, toothpaste, in her haste to see him.—
Joyce Carol Oates,
The New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2025
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Let all this go unchecked, and your oven will either look bad, smell bad, or both.—
Matthew Korfhage,
WIRED,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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When former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested Tuesday and flown to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, his most prominent critic felt a glimmer of hope.—
Erika Page,
The Christian Science Monitor,
14 Mar. 2025
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But there are glimmers of hope, thanks to entrepreneurs like Kris Engskov.—
Alison Coleman,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Fey and Forte play a couple who have to sniff out which of their other married pals are on the brink of divorce across four vacations.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2025
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The Education Department's shift toward sniffing out insufficiently patriotic lesson plans comes at the same time as the Trump administration is terminating DOE employees, including more than a dozen from the Office of Civil Rights.—
Gene Demby,
NPR,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The pope suffered a number of respiratory complications, such as inhaling some vomit that led to aspiration and required noninvasive mechanical ventilation.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
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When ingested or inhaled, these microplastics can release these chemicals into the body, potentially leading to adverse health effects.—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiff. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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