How to Use whim in a Sentence

whim

noun
  • It's hard to predict voters' whims.
  • Their whims can have the status of law.
    — Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2025
  • Don't trust people off of a whim.
    — Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
  • So, somebody can just give or take at a whim.
    — Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Her whims are that of anyone her age, but her life is not.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 23 June 2026
  • You’re tied, from morning til evening, to the whims of the flock.
    — Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2024
  • Their whims work for or against us with no logic involved.
    — Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The press and the world were at her feet and at her whim, and her whim was a whim of iron.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
  • To be able to go your own way, follow your own whim, slow down to check things out.
    — John King, SFChronicle.com, 6 Dec. 2019
  • The dress code varies according to the theme and the whims of the guests.
    — Cady Lang, Time, 27 Apr. 2018
  • And then all of us have to adjust when the airlines change their rules at whim.
    — Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023
  • Do it on a whim and the power might not be there or the timing might be off.
    — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, 26 Feb. 2018
  • So Young packed up his life, and his racquet, and moved there on a whim.
    — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Dec. 2020
  • The league has conformed to The King’s whims.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • The 43-year-old didn’t just take the polar plunge on a whim, though.
    — Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2020
  • The other flavors will be up to his weekly whims.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
  • The whims and needs of ego can be so destabilizing.
    — Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Their first gig was almost a whim, after a friend asked them to perform.
    — Lauren Daley, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2022
  • In fairness, that the site was thrown together on a whim adds to its charm.
    — Brian Barrett, Wired, 21 Jan. 2021
  • So Freeman, on a whim, tried something.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • This will take place while protecting your funds from the whims of the market, too.
    — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 14 May 2026
  • On a whim, Jess Wade typed out her first Wikipedia page five years ago.
    — Sydney Page, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2022
  • Alex lived at the whims of his central nervous system, and the first thing that tamed it was weed.
    — Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2024
  • Steve did not decide to stay with Peggy on a whim in Endgame.
    — Chris Smith, BGR, 28 July 2021
  • Both of our schedules are at the whim of work that can drag us to the airport or the train station.
    — Colin Daileda, Longreads, 24 Mar. 2020
  • All other rights are at the whim of whoever is running the state.
    — Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 12 Dec. 2022
  • Get lucky at the whim of the algorithm — cross your fingers and just upload.
    — Danny Garcia, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2022
  • By their very nature, pop-ups are fluid and subject to the whims of weather.
    — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 17 June 2026
  • By their very nature, pop-ups are fluid and subject to the whims of weather.
    — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 27 May 2026
  • By their very nature, pop-ups are fluid and subject to the whims of weather.
    — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 14 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whim.' 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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