How to Use waft in a Sentence

waft

1 of 2 verb
  • The smell of chicken soup wafted up to my bedroom.
  • A breeze wafted the scent of roses towards our table.
  • The sound of music wafted softly into the yard from our neighbor's house.
  • The smell of dill wafting through the air.
    — Dawn Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
  • The scent of urine wafted around us.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
  • The bright green and yellow streams of smoke that linger and waft through the air.
    — Caitlin Murray, oregonlive, 24 Aug. 2020
  • The heavy smell of jet fuel wafted in the air.
    — Gary Fields, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The scent of sagebrush wafted over it all.
    — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 17 May 2026
  • The smell of rice cooking wafted through the house.
    — Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The sulfurous scent of hell wafted on the sea breeze.
    — Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Cigar smoke didn’t waft from either locker room that evening.
    — Michael Casagrande | [email protected], al, 21 Oct. 2020
  • The fire burned for months and the smell wafted up to 15 miles away.
    — Williesha Morris | [email protected], al, 13 Aug. 2023
  • The smell of manure and dirt wafted in the humid air.
    — Susanne Rust follow, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
  • People will dance on your terraces and perfumes will waft from your kitchens.
    — Billboard Staff, Billboard, 8 Aug. 2020
  • With each footstep, the scent of grass or horse manure wafted through the air.
    — Clarence Williams, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
  • When the deputy approached the car, a strong odor of cannabis wafted from inside.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
  • And the unmistakable scent of patchouli oil won’t waft through the air.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Burning pine needles, and the rich, muscly scent of shrimp paste waft over from the open kitchen.
    — New York Times, 12 Oct. 2021
  • On sunny days, the ocean breeze wafts off the beach and through the loungers and cabanas set just back from the sand.
    — Tim Chester, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Lucky for Melton, there’s an earnestness that wafts off him, even over a grainy Zoom.
    — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2023
  • Take the glass, waft it underneath your nose in a little circle.
    — Stefene Russell, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 May 2022
  • This contains the smoke and keeps it from wafting throughout your entire home.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Swarms of flies and stray cats gathered around the trash whose stench wafted on the breeze from the nearby sea.
    — ABC News, 4 June 2026
  • The smells of batter and syrup wafted through the campus hallways.
    — USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
  • The founders’ auras waft through the townhouse as surely as the delicious scents.
    — Marni Elyse Katz, Robb Report, 12 Dec. 2022
  • Smoke from distant fires can waft long distances, and there is no way a grower can prevent it.
    — New York Times, 18 July 2021
  • On the trap bottom, place a lure with pheromones that waft a scent to attract certain insects.
    — oregonlive, 17 Jan. 2022
  • Candles are a tried and true method for keeping a strong counter scent wafting through the bathroom.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
  • On the ground floor, the smell of buttery pastries wafted from a test kitchen packed with students.
    — Natalie B. Compton, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Still, the floral, fruity odor of the chemical butyl acrylate still wafts up from the streams.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN, 3 Mar. 2023

waft

2 of 2 noun
  • The smell of crushed cilantro wafts up from the rows.
    — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Each time there’s a sizzle, a fresh waft of spices fills the room.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2019
  • The scent of new car leather and freshly cut green grass wafts through the rooms.
    — Abby Ellin, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2017
  • Lemongrass wafts off a dish of lobster two ways.
    — Restaurant Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Dec. 2025
  • Gunsmoke that smells of rotten eggs wafts over the field.
    — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2025
  • This drink smelled more like cotton candy to me at first waft.
    — Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2021
  • The smell of sewage wafts over unpaved streets choked with plastic trash.
    — Benjamin Preston, Fortune, 24 July 2017
  • At the movies, the smell of warm, buttery popcorn wafts through the air.
    — Denise Teter, Philly.com, 8 Dec. 2017
  • Torres says as the stench of hot oil wafts over the neighborhood.
    — Susan Carpenter, Los Angeles Magazine, 7 May 2018
  • From the stands, the scent of marijuana wafts down from the tiny crowd.
    — Peter King, SI.com, 21 Sep. 2017
  • Don't leave your leftover broccoli water on the stove to waft for hours.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The scent of fragrant broth wafts from the kitchen into the bright dining room.
    — Bao Ong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
  • There are wafts of fragrant florals; there are waves of winter spices.
    — Allison Robicelli, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2023
  • The familiar smell of fish wafts through the air from the nearby seafood stands.
    — Lindsay Cohn, ELLE Decor, 6 Mar. 2018
  • Tailgating was banned, so no waft of sizzling brats, steaks and dogs.
    — Teddy Greenstein, chicagotribune.com, 12 Sep. 2020
  • The scent of shorn wood, metal and instant coffee wafts through the air.
    — Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Cue the sounds of rolling waves, wafts of sea breeze and quintessential ocean views.
    — Robyn George, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Smoke rises from their midst and the heady smell of hashish wafts all the way to the street outside the gates.
    — Maija Liuhto, Longreads, 28 June 2018
  • The officer then smelled strong wafts of vanilla coming from the car.
    — Anne Branigin, The Root, 30 Oct. 2017
  • Delicious waft of candy cane, maple syrup, mint crisp and plum tart aromas.
    — Tom Mullen, Forbes, 22 May 2022
  • There’s an occasional gurgle of hookah and waft of sweet-smelling smoke.
    — Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2022
  • Banana pudding wafts with the green vanilla notes of pandan.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 24 Mar. 2026
  • As carbon dioxide gas wafts off the ice and seeps through the burrows, rats fall asleep, then never wake up.
    — Charlie Hamilton James, National Geographic, 17 June 2019
  • Folks show up in full lederhosen, while polka and oompa tunes waft out of the town’s pubs and wineries.
    — Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Inside, an unassuming air wafts throughout the space, where windows and doors are left open much of the year.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2018
  • Enticing smells of stir-frying garlic and meats caramelizing in fish sauce waft from the open kitchen where woks clang.
    — Linda Bladholm, miamiherald, 24 Jan. 2018
  • Violence, for now, was put aside, the mere waft of it in the air satiating most appetites.
    — Luke O'Neil, Esquire, 13 May 2017
  • In the warm, undefined space of the painting, veils of blue and purple waft around a golden center.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 11 Mar. 2021
  • Lynn departed in a sand-and-beige waft of giggles and goodbyes to half the tearoom without even a nod to me.
    — Barbara Amiel, Town & Country, 20 Sep. 2020
  • Opera music wafts through the air, and a television set shows a stage with a full choir joining together in song.
    — Julia Felsenthal, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'waft.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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