whiff

• Nom ayant plusieurs sens : un souffle ou une bouffée légère et brève d'air ou d'odeur ; un type de limande (poisson plat) trouvée près des côtes, de la Nouvelle-Angleterre au Brésil ; ou un retrait sur trois prises au baseball, lorsque le frappeur balance et manque la balle au troisième strike.

A noun with multiple meanings: a brief, light gust of air or odor; a type of lefteye flounder found in coastal waters from New England to Brazil; or a strikeout in baseball where the batter swings and misses for the third strike.

1. Brief smell or puff of airB1formal

   A short, light gust of air or a faint smell that is carried by it.

   bouffée (légère)

   • A whiff of fresh air came through the open window.
   • He caught a whiff of her perfume as she walked by.
   • There was a whiff of smoke in the room.

   Synonymesbreathhintodorpuffscentsmellsuggestiontracewaft

2. A type of flatfishC2formalamerican

   A lefteye flounder found in coastal waters from New England to Brazil.

   Cardine (poisson plat)

   • The fisherman caught a large whiff off the coast of Massachusetts.
   • Whiff is a popular catch in the waters of the Atlantic.
   • The restaurant served grilled whiff with lemon butter.

3. Strikeout in baseballB2informalamerican

   A strikeout resulting from the batter swinging at and missing the ball for the third strike.

   Retrait sur trois prises (avec élan manqué)

   • The pitcher ended the inning with a whiff.
   • He struck out on a whiff in the bottom of the ninth.
   • The crowd groaned as the batter went down on a whiff.

   Synonymeskstrikeout

• Verbe utilisé pour désigner le fait de sentir brièvement ou faiblement une odeur, ainsi qu'un échec lors d'un coup ou d'une attrape dans le sport.

A verb used to indicate the act of smelling something briefly or faintly, or to miss a hit or catch in sports.

1. Perceive by smellingB1informal

   To detect or smell something by inhaling through the nose.

   percevoir par l'odorat

   • She whiffed the scent of fresh coffee as she entered the room.
   • He whiffed the air to see if something was burning.
   • The dog whiffed the ground, searching for a trail.

   Synonymesinhalenosescentsmellsniff

2. Move or carry as if by a puff of airB2informal

   To drive or carry something along as if by a gust of wind.

   Emporter comme par une bouffée d'air

   • The breeze whiffed the leaves across the yard.
   • A sudden gust whiffed the papers off the desk.
   • The smoke was whiffed away by the wind.

   Synonymesblowgustpuffwaftwhisk

3. Strike out in baseballB2informalamerican

   In baseball, to strike out by swinging and missing the pitch that is charged as the third strike.

   Retirer sur trois prises en balayant l'air

   • The batter whiffed on the final pitch, ending the inning.
   • He whiffed badly, missing the ball by a mile.
   • The pitcher celebrated as the hitter whiffed for the third time.

   Synonymesfanstrike out

   Antonymesconnectcontacthitreach

4. Smoke and exhale stronglyB2informal

   To inhale and then exhale smoke from a cigarette or similar item with force.

   tirer fort sur une cigarette

   • He whiffed on his cigar and blew a ring of smoke.
   • She whiffed deeply on the cigarette before speaking.
   • They sat on the porch, whiffing their pipes in silence.

   Synonymesdragpufftoke

5. Utter with a puff of airC1informal

   To speak or utter something while exhaling a puff of air.

   dire en soufflant

   • He whiffed a quick apology as he rushed past.
   • She whiffed a sigh of relief after the news.
   • The old man whiffed a few words before falling silent.