waft.
To (cause to) float easily or gently through the air.
Meaning & usage
To (cause to) float easily or gently through the air.
A breeze came in through the open window and wafted her sensuous perfume into my eager nostrils.
To be moved, or to pass, on a buoyant medium; to float.
To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English waften, of uncertain origin. Possibly from unattested Old English *wafettan, from wafian (“to wave”) + -ettan, or perhaps borrowed from Middle Dutch wachten (“to guard, provide for”). See also German wabern (“to waft”), Faroese veiftra (“to wave”) and Icelandic váfa (“to fluctuate, waver, doubt”).
A light breeze.
Something (such as an odor or perfume) that is carried through the air.
A flag used to indicate wind direction or, with a knot tied in the center, as a signal; a waif, a wheft.
A loose noncommittal shot, usually played to a ball pitched short of length and well wide of the off stump.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English waften, of uncertain origin. Possibly from unattested Old English *wafettan, from wafian (“to wave”) + -ettan, or perhaps borrowed from Middle Dutch wachten (“to guard, provide for”). See also German wabern (“to waft”), Faroese veiftra (“to wave”) and Icelandic váfa (“to fluctuate, waver, doubt”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.