whiff1

noun

• 1a smell that is only smelt briefly or faintly:I caught a whiff of eau de cologne
• [in singular] British informal an unpleasant smell.
• [in singular] an act of sniffing or inhaling:I found my inhaler and took a deep whiff
• [in singular] a trace or hint of something bad, menacing, or exciting:there had been a whiff of financial scandal in the past

• 2a puff or breath of air or smoke: whiffs of smoke emerged from the boiler

• 3North American informal (chiefly in baseball or golf) an unsuccessful attempt to hit the ball.

verb

• 1 [with object] get a brief or faint smell of:he whiffed the broth that was simmering on the stove
• [no object] British informal give off an unpleasant smell:she whiffed of nicotine

• 2 [no object] North American informal (chiefly in baseball or golf) try unsuccessfully to hit the ball.