whiff

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whiff / (h)wif/ • n. 1. a smell that is only smelled briefly or faintly: I caught a whiff of peachy perfume. ∎  [in sing.] an act of sniffing or inhaling, typically so as to determine or savor a scent: one whiff of clothing and Fido was off. ∎  [in sing.] a trace or hint of something bad, menacing, or exciting: here was a man with a whiff of danger about him.2. a puff or breath of air or smoke.3. inf. (chiefly in baseball or golf) an unsuccessful attempt to hit the ball.• v. 1. [tr.] get a brief or faint smell of: he screwed up his nose as if he'd whiffed Limburger.2. [intr.] inf. (chiefly in baseball or golf) try unsuccessfully to hit the ball.