WAFT Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

waft 1 of 2

noun

Definition of waft

as in breeze

a slight or gentle movement of air wafts carrying the scent of spring flowers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

calm

waft

2 of 2

verb

ˈwäft

as in to hover

to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a feather wafted past us and settled on the grass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of waft

Noun

Spritz it in the morning and prepare for subtle, spa-like wafts of forest floor throughout the day. — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 4 Aug. 2026 Nearby, the scents of carne asada and carnitas waft out of taquerias, inviting those nearby to stop in for a meal. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

Verb

The familiar scent of grilling merguez wafted through the air as Violette began to enumerate the system’s failures. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026 Clear blue skies are hovering over the Pharmalot campus, where a cool breeze is wafting by and the official mascots are bounding about the grounds in search of critters. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for waft

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waft

Noun

The shot fades into a close-up of Liam, his perfect coif billowing in the ocean breeze.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2026
Areas away from Chesapeake Bay have enjoyed abundant sunshine Thursday with a refreshing breeze and highs around 70°.

— Steven Sosna, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of breeze

Verb

With a police helicopter hovering overhead, police started using tear gas and a water cannon in an effort to move the protesters back.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Daytime temperatures hovered in the upper 40s to low 50s this week in Halifax, with overnight lows in the 30s, according to weather reports.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of hover

Noun

Brightening Eye Gel $76 Designed to brighten, hydrate, and de-puff, Tata Harper’s soothing eye gel is one of my morning must-haves—and it’s also dermatologist approved.

— Jenny Berg, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
The padding is generally offered in three weights to suit a range of designs from ultra-light jackets to high puff parkas.

— Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of puff

Verb

Brady also took issue with a call against Detroit, suggesting Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes didn't deserve an unnecessary roughness flag for bumping running back MarShawn Lloyd after a pass sailed over Lloyd's head.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Built by master Konjo shipwrights in South Sulawesi using dense tropical teak and ironwood, Silolona and its sister phinisi schooner, Si Datu Bua, venture where few travelers have sailed before.

— Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of sail

Noun

Meanwhile, Perry and Robert are figuring the logistics of end-of-life care in real time straight through to their charge’s final breath.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 27 Oct. 2026
Doctors detected abnormal breath sounds, and a scan revealed a round blotch in his right lung—a sign of blood, pus, fluid or tissue—but tests for common pathogens came back negative.

— Rachel Melegrito, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of breath

Verb

Diversification into more reliable sectors, including tourism, has been floated as a means to bring in the hard currency needed to allow the nation more access to global markets.

— Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
As emerging economies and coastal hubs face growing power shortfalls, modular floating plants offer a way to secure grid capacity while keeping the door open to future hydrogen adoption.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of float

Verb

For the past 15 years, Ishmael Butler and his cast of collaborators have drifted further and further into the outer reaches, deconstructing and reassembling hip-hop, jazz, and kosmische conventions into sprawling, proggy rhapsodies.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Meta stock plunged after the hyperscaler drifted into negative free cash flow, while China entered bear market territory with Alibaba’s stock dropping 6%, as investors questioned the return on its AI investments.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of drift

Verb

After lingering in nearby waters for hours, the shark swam beneath an outer barrier net installed on the platform that night and reentered the waterway.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
This tiny wearable device could record thousands of individual neurons simultaneously as animals swim, play, explore, and interact naturally.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of swim

Browse Nearby Words

waffling

waft

wafted

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Waft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waft. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of waft

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes