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In our town, Halloween was terrifying and thrilling, and there was a whiff of homicide. We'd travel by foot in the dark for miles, collecting candy, watching out for adults who seemed too eager to give us treats.
Rosecrans Baldwin

Meaning of "whiff" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WHIFF

Of imitative origin.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF WHIFF

whiff  [wɪf] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WHIFF

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Whiff is a verb and can also act as a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb whiff in English.

WHAT DOES WHIFF MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Whiff

Whiff is a common name for various species of flatfish. It may refer to: ▪ Whiff or Megrim, species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae ▪ Anglefin whiff, species of flatfish in the family Paralichthyidae ▪ Horned whiff, species of flatfish in the family Paralichthyidae ▪ Sand whiff, species of flatfish in the family Paralichthyidae ▪ Veracruz whiff, species of flatfish in the family Paralichthyidae...

Definition of whiff in the English dictionary

The first definition of whiff in the dictionary is a passing odour. Other definition of whiff is a brief gentle gust of air. Whiff is also a single inhalation or exhalation from the mouth or nose.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO WHIFF

PRESENT

Present
I whiff
you whiff
he/she/it whiffs
we whiff
you whiff
they whiff
Present continuous
I am whiffing
you are whiffing
he/she/it is whiffing
we are whiffing
you are whiffing
they are whiffing
Present perfect
I have whiffed
you have whiffed
he/she/it has whiffed
we have whiffed
you have whiffed
they have whiffed
Present perfect continuous
I have been whiffing
you have been whiffing
he/she/it has been whiffing
we have been whiffing
you have been whiffing
they have been whiffing
Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past
I whiffed
you whiffed
he/she/it whiffed
we whiffed
you whiffed
they whiffed
Past continuous
I was whiffing
you were whiffing
he/she/it was whiffing
we were whiffing
you were whiffing
they were whiffing
Past perfect
I had whiffed
you had whiffed
he/she/it had whiffed
we had whiffed
you had whiffed
they had whiffed
Past perfect continuous
I had been whiffing
you had been whiffing
he/she/it had been whiffing
we had been whiffing
you had been whiffing
they had been whiffing
Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future
I will whiff
you will whiff
he/she/it will whiff
we will whiff
you will whiff
they will whiff
Future continuous
I will be whiffing
you will be whiffing
he/she/it will be whiffing
we will be whiffing
you will be whiffing
they will be whiffing
Future perfect
I will have whiffed
you will have whiffed
he/she/it will have whiffed
we will have whiffed
you will have whiffed
they will have whiffed
Future perfect continuous
I will have been whiffing
you will have been whiffing
he/she/it will have been whiffing
we will have been whiffing
you will have been whiffing
they will have been whiffing
The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional
I would whiff
you would whiff
he/she/it would whiff
we would whiff
you would whiff
they would whiff
Conditional continuous
I would be whiffing
you would be whiffing
he/she/it would be whiffing
we would be whiffing
you would be whiffing
they would be whiffing
Conditional perfect
I would have whiff
you would have whiff
he/she/it would have whiff
we would have whiff
you would have whiff
they would have whiff
Conditional perfect continuous
I would have been whiffing
you would have been whiffing
he/she/it would have been whiffing
we would have been whiffing
you would have been whiffing
they would have been whiffing
Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative
you whiff
we let´s whiff
you whiff
The imperative is used to form commands or requests.
NONFINITE VERB FORMS
Infinitive
to whiff
Past participle
whiffed
Present Participle
whiffing
Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WHIFF

which
whichever
whichsoever
whicker
whid
whidah
whidah bird
whidder
whiffer
whiffet
whiffier
whiffiest
whiffle
whiffler
whifflery
whiffletree
whiffy
whift
Whig
whiggamore

WORDS THAT END LIKE WHIFF

biff
Cardiff
cliff
feed-in tariff
griff
iff
kiff
mastiff
plaintiff
quiff
riff
Schiff
sheriff
skewwhiff
skiff
sniff
stiff
tariff
tiff
ziff

Synonyms and antonyms of whiff in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «WHIFF»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «whiff» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of whiff
aroma · bit · blast · breath · crumb · draught · drop · flurry · gust · hint · hum · jot · malodour · niff · note · odour · pong · puff · reek · rush · scent · shred · smell · smidgen · sniff · stench · stink · suggestion · suspicion · tinge · trace · waft · whisper

Translation of «whiff» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WHIFF

Find out the translation of whiff to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of whiff from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «whiff» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

> 微弱的一阵
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

bocanada
570 millions of speakers

English

whiff
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

एहसास
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

نفحة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

дуновение
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

cheiro
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ফুঁ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

bouffée
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

bau busuk
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Hauch
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

ほのかな香り
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

살짝 풍기는 냄새
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Whiff
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

hơi rượu
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

திடீரென
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

वाफ
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

nefes
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

odore
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

powiew
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

подув
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

damf
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

φύσημα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

whiff
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

pust
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

eim
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of whiff

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WHIFF»

The term «whiff» is quite widely used and occupies the 44.667 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
79
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «whiff» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of whiff
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «whiff».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WHIFF» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «whiff» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «whiff» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about whiff

EXAMPLES

5 QUOTES WITH «WHIFF»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word whiff.
1
Rosecrans Baldwin
In our town, Halloween was terrifying and thrilling, and there was a whiff of homicide. We'd travel by foot in the dark for miles, collecting candy, watching out for adults who seemed too eager to give us treats.
2
Lev Grossman
I got my first whiff of what big-time adult literature was all about when I was in 8th grade. I got it from Mark Linn-Baker. You know - the guy from 'Perfect Strangers.'
3
Leona Lewis
I trust every single person around me, and if I feel even a whiff of uncertainty I won't have that person around me.
4
John Ridley
Old white guys can be a funny bunch, can't they? The same anti-same-sex marriage, anti-affirmative action cadre can flower into the biggest supporters of 'equality' the minute they get a whiff of minority empowerment.
5
Rob Sheffield
'The Voice' has lots of singers who fit the 'Idol' mold of young, innocent ingenues with psycho stage moms. But it also has long-suffering adult pros, with a whiff of thirtysomething despair in their voices. That adds an edge of realness.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WHIFF»

Discover the use of whiff in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to whiff and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Whiff!: The Revolution of Scent Communication in the ...
These cutting edge companies are using scent research to trigger and enhance customers' emotions, perceptions, and brand loyalty, resulting in increased sales and satisfied customers.Whiff! conveniently pulls back the veil for the rest of ...
C. Russell Brumfield, James Goldney, Stephanie Gunning, 2008
2
A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems
Warning: Deborah Ruddell's quirky cast of animal characters and Joan Rankin's deliciously daffy pictures will cause giggles. The woods have never been so much fun!
Deborah Ruddell, 2011
3
A Whiff of Scandal
'She's had men popping in and out of there all day.
Carole Matthews, 2013
4
The Whiff of Money
Who will find them first? And, once found, who's to say they won't immediately disappear again? The thriller maestro of the generation"Manchester Evening News
James Hadley Chase, 2013
5
Whiff: a novel
Whiff is the new novel by David Edwards (Sguier). It is illustrated by the Japanese Manga artist Junko Murata and continues the story of Edwards’ first novel, Niche, co-authored with Jay Cantor (Plessis).
Séguier, Junko Murata, 2008
6
Get a Whiff of This: Perfumes (Fragrances) - The Invisible ...
1. United states was attacked dec. 7 1941, at Pearl Harbor, this was the beginning of a very hard long struggle lasting almost four years, lasting until Sept. 2 1945 2.
Connie Pitts, 2003
7
A Whiff and a Sniff
Describes a vast array of smells, from a baking chocolate cake to the earthy scent of the garden.
Jane Belk Moncure, 1997
8
A Whiff of Danger
Dressing up as characters from The Wizard of Oz on Halloween, Maggie, Howie, and Just Rick realize that they are being followed by a prankster witch as they make their trick-or-treating rounds. Original.
Nancy Hope Wilson, Marie Dejohn, 1996
9
A Whiff of Death
The murder of his graduate student in the University chemistry laboratory causes an assistant professor to turn sleuth
Isaac Asimov, 1987
10
A Whiff of Fragrance:
Ashok Upadhyay. A whiff of fragrance © Author Publisher: Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. X30, Okhla Industrial Area, PhaseII New Delhi110020 Phone: 01140712100, 41611861 Fax: 01141611866 Email: ...
Ashok Upadhyay, 2014

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WHIFF»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term whiff is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Whiff of Dot-Com Fever in Delphi Deal
There's a whiff of tech fever emanating from Delphi Automotive. The company, a $22 billion auto parts supplier, is attaching connected-car hype to its acquisition ... «New York Times, Jul 15»
2
Whiff of threats, Delhi cops on high alert
NEW DELHI: In a clear indication that intelligence agencies have got a whiff of specific threats, all Delhi Police personnel have been asked to keep their ... «Times of India, Jul 15»
3
Ignore the 'Faint Whiff of Panic;' Global Growth Is Accelerating
At Credit Suisse Group AG, economists are sanguine even as they detect a “faint whiff of panic” over China's stock-market rout and the mounting prospect of ... «Bloomberg, Jul 15»
4
Giants whiff on congratulatory tweet about Chris Heston's no-hitter
The Giants, tweeting a shoutout to rookie pitcher Chris Heston for his no-hitter Tuesday against the Mets, let a stray letter get in the way (via FoxSports.com). «SportingNews.com, Jun 15»
5
Jacky Jones: A whiff of 1950s Ireland about the Portlaoise hospital …
Unearthing the truth about Ireland's maternity services is like peeling an onion. The Hiqa investigation into the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, has ... «Irish Times, Jun 15»
6
Whiff of weed leads cops to dagga motherload
Cape Town - Nine tons of dagga was uncovered in Beaufort-West in the Western Cape at the weekend after traffic officials caught a whiff of weed emanating ... «News24, May 15»
7
Watch: Even Rory Mcilroy can whiff on a chip shot
The best golfers in the world sometimes make this game look so easy, it's hard to imagine them having trouble on a shot that would give a weekend hacker fits. «PGA.com, May 15»
8
Ignore the 'whiff of panic' as US economy stalls
"A whiff of panic is in the air," said the Economic Cycle Research Institute. The putatitve post-winter rebound keeps disappointing. Citigroup's economic surprise ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Apr 15»
9
campaigns have a whiff of Pyongyang
Tightly controlled campaigns have a whiff of Pyongyang ... Labour leader's election campaign that has the whiff of a western tourist's experience of Pyongyang. «Financial Times, Apr 15»
10
The Whitley whiff: where you've been sniffing it
It seems the Whitley Whiff is back and a lot of our readers have been sniffing it across the town. Although the vile smell hung over South Reading for decades in ... «getreading, Apr 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Whiff [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/whiff>. Apr 2024 ».
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