whiff — a slight smell or trace of something
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a slight smell or trace of something
Pronunciation (IPA): /wɪf/
Example Sentences
- The detective got a whiff of the criminal's cheap cologne and knew he was on the right track.
- She caught a whiff of gossip about her boss and pretended not to hear.
- The chef whiffed the soup and immediately knew something was wrong with the recipe.
whiff
NOUN[/wɪf/]
a slight smell or trace of something
A small whiff of fresh bread pulls him toward the bakery window.
One whiff near the cliff makes him freeze stiff!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Whiff originated in the 16th century as an onomatopoeia imitating the sudden sound of wind or a quick gust of air. Similar to words like 'whoosh' and 'puff', it originally described the movement of air before semantically expanding to denote a smell or scent.
Breakdown
Onomatopoetic root expressing air movement → extended to mean a slight smell or odor; the word retains its imitative quality in both its original sense of a sudden gust and its derived sense of catching a whiff of something.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The detective got a whiff of the criminal's cheap cologne and knew he was on the right track.”
“She caught a whiff of gossip about her boss and pretended not to hear.”
“The chef whiffed the soup and immediately knew something was wrong with the recipe.”
“I got a whiff of my neighbor's barbecue and suddenly felt very hungry.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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