whiff
whiff
/wɪf/
whiff (of something) a smell, especially one that you only smell for a short time
a whiff of cigar smoke
He caught a whiff of perfume as he leaned towards her.
Collocations
adjective
verb + whiff
preposition
whiff of
phrases
at the faintest whiff of something
at the first whiff of something
at the merest whiff of something
2 whiff (of something) a slight sign or feeling of something
a whiff of danger
3 (North American English) (in golf or baseball) an unsuccessful attempt to hit the ball
whiff
/wɪf/
2 intransitive (North American English) (in golf or baseball) to try without success to hit the ball Word Origin
late 16th cent. (originally in the senses ‘gust of wind’ and ‘inhalation of tobacco smoke’, also, as a verb, ‘blow with a slight gust’): imitative.