as in hints
an almost imperceptible sign of something
even a whiff of appreciation for everything I've done for her would have been nice
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Recent Examples of whiffs
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
The pitch generated 19 swings and four whiffs.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Abreu and Caleb Durbin followed with a pair of two-out singles, but Vásquez ended the inning with a strikeout of Mayer on a changeup, one of just three punchouts in the game and one of his 14 whiffs.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Holmes induced 14 whiffs, mostly with his sharp slider.
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Padres starter Michael King racked up 12 swing-and-misses in 5 2/3 innings, including three straight whiffs by Trevor Story, which left Rafaela stranded on second at the end of the third inning.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
The tone-setting sequence put Cabrera into cruise control, getting a mix of whiffs and soft contact to limit the Angels to just one hit in six shutout innings en route to a 7-2 Cubs victory.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The 25-year-old, who burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2025, held the Giants to one hit, a second-inning double from Heliot Ramos, and refused to issue a free pass while tallying 13 whiffs.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
Glasnow was consistently making Angels hitters swing and miss at his breaking balls – 13 of the Angels’ 18 swings (72%) against his curveball were whiffs and Glasnow drew a 43% whiff rate with his slider.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
World Baseball Classic Team USA whiffs Team USA lost 3-2 to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic title game Tuesday night.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Both whiffs only further reminded me what a top-tier star Clooney used to be, and these staid recent efforts help meta-textually burnish Jay Kelly’s initial setup.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2025
Given Eldridge’s offensive profile, there will likely always be a fair amount of strikeouts and whiffs in his game.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
Mahle’s opposite on the mound Wednesday was four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who pitched six shutout innings with seven strikeouts while generating 18 whiffs.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
The pitch generated 19 swings and four whiffs.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Abreu and Caleb Durbin followed with a pair of two-out singles, but Vásquez ended the inning with a strikeout of Mayer on a changeup, one of just three punchouts in the game and one of his 14 whiffs.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Holmes induced 14 whiffs, mostly with his sharp slider.
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Padres starter Michael King racked up 12 swing-and-misses in 5 2/3 innings, including three straight whiffs by Trevor Story, which left Rafaela stranded on second at the end of the third inning.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
The tone-setting sequence put Cabrera into cruise control, getting a mix of whiffs and soft contact to limit the Angels to just one hit in six shutout innings en route to a 7-2 Cubs victory.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The 25-year-old, who burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2025, held the Giants to one hit, a second-inning double from Heliot Ramos, and refused to issue a free pass while tallying 13 whiffs.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
Glasnow was consistently making Angels hitters swing and miss at his breaking balls – 13 of the Angels’ 18 swings (72%) against his curveball were whiffs and Glasnow drew a 43% whiff rate with his slider.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
Some mention of bonus bets that whiffs of free money.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
World Baseball Classic Team USA whiffs Team USA lost 3-2 to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic title game Tuesday night.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Both whiffs only further reminded me what a top-tier star Clooney used to be, and these staid recent efforts help meta-textually burnish Jay Kelly’s initial setup.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2025
Given Eldridge’s offensive profile, there will likely always be a fair amount of strikeouts and whiffs in his game.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whiffs
Noun
-
This desire to find connection in loss hints that death can often be more tangible to process than estrangement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
After downplaying the prospect of a new album in recent interviews, Grande began posting hints to the contrary in March, like a flower emoji in her Instagram bio.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This entire episode just smells rotten.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Our Stainless Steel Step Garbage Bin stays so much cleaner than a regular garbage bin; the stainless steel lid locks odors inside, so your trash never smells.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The rooms Rooms are contemporary in style, decorated in grays and whites with touches of aquamarine in the carpets that reflect the ocean outside.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
-
French interiors blend elegance and comfort with ornate details, vintage finds, and personal touches.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the video, Chilli sniffs large bricks to locate the scent a trainer shared with him.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Tovar is the one officer who immediately sniffs out that there’s something weird about Gacy, and Luna incrementally nudges the character further and further into obsession.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
There are no easy answers in education, but there are glimmers of hope.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
-
While the storm is looming, there are new glimmers of possibility—friends can become lovers, strangers can become friends on the subway, the supermarket aisles are charged with meaning.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This will allow Roman to hunt down exoplanets through flickers, or distortions, in starlight as planets pass in front of stars — assuming the distortions aren't due to starquakes, or some other stellar phenomena.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Opt for bigger hanging bulbs, discrete flickers, or even hanging sheaths.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whiffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whiffs. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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