smell vs whiff

smell and whiff both are nouns.

smell and whiff both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
smell	Yes	No	Yes	No
whiff	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, whiff is a hyponym of smell; that is, whiff is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than smell:

smell: inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense
whiff: perceive by inhaling through the nose

Other hyponyms of smell include sniff, nose, scent, wind, snuff, snuffle, get a noseful, get a whiff.

smell (noun)	whiff (noun)
the act of perceiving the odor of something	a strikeout resulting from the batter swinging at and missing the ball for the third strike
any property detected by the olfactory system	a lefteye flounder found in coastal waters from New England to Brazil
the faculty that enables us to distinguish scents	a short light gust of air
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people

smell (verb)	whiff (verb)
become aware of not through the senses but instinctively	utter with a puff of air
emit an odor	smoke and exhale strongly
inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense	strike out by swinging and missing the pitch charged as the third
smell bad	drive or carry as if by a puff of air
have an element suggestive (of something)	perceive by inhaling through the nose

Difference between smell and whiff

Words related to "smell"

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