whiffing

present participle of whiff
as in sniffing
to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose whiffed the pot of chili on the stove and announced that he was staying for dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whiffing After whiffing during his first at bat, Hundley hit a triple in the fourth inning, a double off the left field wall in the scoreless sixth, a homer (his 16th of the season) in the eighth and a single in the 11th. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026 By punting on draft picks, the Rams are taking the possibility of whiffing on them out of the equation. Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026 And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick. Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026 The Mets struggled against right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, whiffing on his four-seam fastball and his splitter. Abbey Mastracco, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026 The Slovenian star shook his head in disdain after whiffing on a 3-point attempt from the top of the key, the ball falling well short of the rim. Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026 The arrival of the 31-year-old on a $26 million, two-year deal could be viewed as a penalty for whiffing on Kris Jenkins. Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026 After whiffing nine batters in his first start of the season, the UTSA transfer has now collected double-digit strikeouts in three consecutive outings. David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026 Johnson’s been whiffing on the open stuff in a make-or-miss league. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whiffing
Verb
  • Mondon, a 2025 fifth-round pick, opened team drills with the second-team defense by sniffing out a run along the perimeter.
    Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The Pomeranian munchkins in Munchkinland skitter around, sniffing wagging butts.
    Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Dogs slept outside and got baths every six months and sometimes disappeared for three days and then came home smelling like Paris Hilton circa 2003, and no one asked any questions.
    Mimi Montgomery, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The fresh-smelling fragrance is available in several Bath & Body Works go-tos, including the Liquidless Reeds and Single Wick Candle.
    Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • More studies are showing the wide-ranging negative health impacts of inhaling wildfire smoke, which is especially toxic when blazes tear through urban areas and burn up household appliances, batteries and chemicals.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Another man was taken to Insight Hospital and Medical Center in fair condition after also inhaling water, police said.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Whiffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiffing. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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