If there is a whiffof a particular smell, you smell it only slightly or only for a brief period of time, for example as you walk past someone or something.
He caught a whiff of her perfume. [+ of]
Synonyms: smell, hint, scent, sniff More Synonyms of whiff
2. countable noun [usually singular]
A whiffof something bad or harmful is a slight sign of it.
Not a whiff of scandal has ever tainted his private life. [+ of]
The TV show had the whiff of hypocrisy and pomposity.
Synonyms: trace, suggestion, hint, suspicion More Synonyms of whiff
More Synonyms of whiff
whiff in British English1
(wɪf)
noun
1.
a passing odour
2.
a brief gentle gust of air
3.
a single inhalation or exhalation from the mouth or nose
verb
4.
to come, convey, or go in whiffs; puff or waft
5.
to take in or breathe out (tobacco smoke, air, etc)
6. (transitive)
to sniff or smell
7. (intransitive) British slang
to have an unpleasant smell; stink
Derived forms
whiffer (ˈwhiffer)
noun
Word origin
C16: of imitative origin
whiff in British English2
(wɪf)
noun
mainly British
a narrow clinker-built skiff having outriggers, for one oarsman
Word origin
C19: special use of whiff1
whiff in American English
(hwɪf; wɪf)
noun
1.
a light puff or gust of air or wind; breath
2.
a slight wave or gust of odor; faint momentary smell
a whiff of garlic
3.
an inhaling or exhaling, as of tobacco smoke
4. US, Informal
a complete miss when attempting to hit something, as a golf ball, with a swinging motion
verb transitive
5.
to blow or propel (tobacco smoke, etc.) with a puff or gust; waft
verb intransitive
6.
to blow or move in puffs, as in smoking
7. US
a. Informal
to miss completely when attempting to hit something, as a golf ball, with a swingingmotion
b. Slang
to strike out in baseball
Derived forms
whiffer (ˈwhiffer)
noun
Word origin
echoic
Examples of 'whiff' in a sentence
whiff
A polished individual without a whiff of scandal about them.
The Sun (2016)
There is a distinct whiff of tobacco in his office.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is a whiff of hypocrisy in this.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Such things have a faint whiff of murder.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Yet there is an unpleasant whiff of xenophobia about it.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They carry a whiff of something warm and joyful and familiar.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
So how come the odd passive whiff of cigarette smoke is so bad?
The Sun (2008)
Like the face made when catching a whiff of what a bear might leave in the woods.
The Sun (2013)
There was about him a whiff of scandal.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
You could smell a whiff of class warfare in the air.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
But the whiff of hypocrisy is inescapable.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Most would agree that the spuds would carry the faint whiff of moral complicity.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There was a definite whiff of something at the old ground yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Floating above all the ripe red berries is a whiff of wood smoke.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
There is a real whiff of scandal in the air.
The Sun (2012)
Not out of snobbery, but to protect them from the whiff of a stinking bishop.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Just one whiff and you're back to the very moment you spoke your vows.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There's a distinct whiff in the air as you approach our house.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Be prepared for men to follow you around, after just one whiff.
The Sun (2014)
That whiff in the air over Westminster is indeed sulphur.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I avoid standing too close to colleagues in case they catch a whiff.
The Sun (2013)
There's a slight whiff of making the best of what we can get and of what we can afford.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He explains that'the boiler is in the stables so you neither hear it nor smell a whiff of oil '.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Like a former smoker at the first whiff of tobacco, I have become allergic to hot air.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The puppets are slightly skew whiff, their movements endearingly jerky, but this only serves to add to the quirky appeal of the film.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
whiff
British English: whiff NOUN
If there is a whiff of a particular smell, you smell it only slightly or only for a brief period of time, for example as you walk past someone or something.
He caught a whiff of her perfume.
American English: whiff
Brazilian Portuguese: cheiro
Chinese: > 微弱的一阵气味等
European Spanish: bocanada
French: bouffée
German: Hauch
Italian: odore
Japanese: ほのかな香り
Korean: 살짝 풍기는 냄새
European Portuguese: cheiro
Latin American Spanish: bocanada
1 (noun)
Definition
a passing odour
He caught a whiff of her perfume.
Synonyms
smell
the smell of freshly baked bread
hint
scent
She could smell the scent of her mother's lacquer.
sniff
Have the Press got a sniff of this story yet?
aroma
the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread
odour
the faint odour of garlic on his breath
draught
niff (British, slang)
2 (noun)
(British, slang)
the nauseating whiff of rotting flesh
Synonyms
stink
The stink was overpowering.
stench
The stench of burning rubber was overpowering.
reek
He smelt the reek of rotten food.
pong (British, informal)
niff (British, slang)
malodour
hum (slang)
3 (noun)
Definition
a trace or hint
Not a whiff of scandal has ever tainted his private life.
Synonyms
trace
Wash them in cold water to remove all traces of sand.
suggestion
that fashionably faint suggestion of a tan
hint
I glanced at her and saw no hint of irony on her face.
suspicion
large blooms of white with a suspicion of pale pink
bit
drop
I'll have a drop of that milk.
note
I detected a note of bitterness in his voice.
breath
It was left to her to add a breath of common sense.
whisper
There is a whisper of conspiracy about the whole affair.
shred
There is not a shred of truth in this story.
crumb
I stood up, brushing crumbs from my trousers.
tinge
Could there have been a slight tinge of envy in her voice?
jot
smidgen (informal)
soupçon (French)
4 (noun)
Definition
a passing odour
At the first whiff of smoke, the alarm will go off.
Synonyms
puff
an occasional puff of air stirring the brittle leaves
breath
Not even a breath of wind stirred the pine branches.
flurry
A flurry of snowflakes was scudding by the window.
waft
A waft of perfume reached Ingrid's nostrils.
rush
A rush of air on my face woke me.
blast
Blasts of cold air swept down from the mountains.
draught
Block draughts around doors and windows.
gust
A gust of wind drove down the valley.
(verb)
(British, slang)
These socks whiff a bit, don't they?
Synonyms
stink
We all stank and nobody minded.
stench
reek
Your breath reeks.
pong (British, informal)
niff (British, slang)
hum (slang)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of aroma
Definition
a distinctive pleasant smell
the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread
Synonyms
scent,
smell,
perfume,
fragrance,
bouquet,
savour,
odour,
redolence
in the sense of blast
Definition
a sudden strong gust of wind or air
Blasts of cold air swept down from the mountains.
Synonyms
gust,
rush,
storm,
breeze,
puff,
gale,
flurry,
tempest (literary),
squall,
strong breeze
in the sense of breath
Definition
a suggestion or slight evidence
It was left to her to add a breath of common sense.
Synonyms
trace,
suggestion,
hint,
whisper,
suspicion,
murmur,
undertone,
intimation
Nearby words of
whiff
whereabouts
wherewithal
whet
whiff
while
while something away
whim
Synonyms of 'whiff'
whiff
Explore 'whiff' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of breath
Definition
to impart
Not even a breath of wind stirred the pine branches.
Synonyms
gust,
sigh,
puff,
flutter,
flurry,
whiff,
draught,
waft,
zephyr,
slight movement,
faint breeze
in the sense of crumb
Definition
a small fragment of bread or other dry food
I stood up, brushing crumbs from my trousers.
Synonyms
bit,
grain,
particle,
fragment,
shred,
speck,
sliver,
morsel
in the sense of draught
Definition
a current of cold air, usually one coming into a room or vehicle
Block draughts around doors and windows.
Synonyms
breeze,
current,
wind,
movement,
flow,
puff,
influx,
gust,
current of air
in the sense of drop
Definition
a small quantity of liquid
I'll have a drop of that milk.
Synonyms
dash,
shot (informal),
spot,
taste,
trace,
pinch,
sip,
tot,
trickle,
nip,
dab,
mouthful
in the sense of flurry
Definition
a light gust of wind or rain, or fall of snow
A flurry of snowflakes was scudding by the window.
Synonyms
gust,
shower,
gale,
swirl,
squall,
storm
in the sense of gust
Definition
a sudden blast of wind
A gust of wind drove down the valley.
Synonyms
blast,
blow,
rush,
breeze,
puff,
gale,
flurry,
squall
in the sense of hint
Definition
a small amount
I glanced at her and saw no hint of irony on her face.
Synonyms
trace,
touch,
suggestion,
taste,
breath,
dash,
whisper,
suspicion,
tinge,
whiff,
speck,
undertone,
soupçon
in the sense of note
Definition
a particular feeling or atmosphere
I detected a note of bitterness in his voice.
Synonyms
tone,
touch,
trace,
hint,
sound
in the sense of odour
Definition
a particular and distinctive scent or smell
the faint odour of garlic on his breath
Synonyms
smell,
scent,
perfume,
fragrance,
stink,
bouquet,
aroma,
whiff,
stench,
pong (British, informal),
niff (British, slang),
redolence,
malodour,
fetor
in the sense of reek
Definition
a strong unpleasant smell
He smelt the reek of rotten food.
Synonyms
stink,
smell,
odour,
stench,
pong (British, informal),
effluvium,
niff (British, slang),
malodour,
mephitis,
fetor
Additional synonyms
in the sense of reek
Definition
to give off a strong unpleasant smell
Your breath reeks.
Synonyms
stink,
smell,
pong (British, informal),
smell to high heaven,
hum (slang)
in the sense of rush
Definition
a sudden flow of air or liquid
A rush of air on my face woke me.
Synonyms
gust,
flurry,
draught
in the sense of scent
Definition
a distinctive smell, esp. a pleasant one
She could smell the scent of her mother's lacquer.
Synonyms
fragrance,
smell,
perfume,
bouquet,
aroma,
odour,
niff (British, slang),
redolence
in the sense of shred
Definition
a very small amount
There is not a shred of truth in this story.
Synonyms
particle,
trace,
scrap,
grain,
atom,
jot,
whit,
iota
in the sense of sniff
Have the Press got a sniff of this story yet?
Synonyms
hint,
clue,
inkling,
sign,
wind,
suggestion,
whiff,
intimation
in the sense of stench
Definition
a strong and very unpleasant smell
The stench of burning rubber was overpowering.
Synonyms
stink,
whiff (British, slang),
reek,
pong (British, informal),
foul smell,
niff (British, slang),
malodour,
mephitis,
noisomeness
in the sense of suggestion
that fashionably faint suggestion of a tan
Synonyms
trace,
touch,
hint,
shadow,
impression,
breath,
indication,
whisper,
suspicion,
ghost,
intimation
in the sense of suspicion
Definition
a slight trace
large blooms of white with a suspicion of pale pink
Synonyms
trace,
touch,
hint,
shadow,
suggestion,
strain,
shade,
streak,
tinge,
glimmer,
soupçon
in the sense of tinge
Definition
a very small amount
Could there have been a slight tinge of envy in her voice?
Synonyms
trace,
bit,
drop,
touch,
suggestion,
dash,
pinch,
smack,
sprinkling,
smattering,
soupçon
in the sense of waft
Definition
a scent carried on the air
A waft of perfume reached Ingrid's nostrils.
Synonyms
current,
breath,
puff,
whiff,
draught,
breeze
Additional synonyms
in the sense of whisper
There is a whisper of conspiracy about the whole affair.