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Glite Dictionary
to catch a whiff

to catch a whiff

4 5.1
To notice a small smell of something for a short time
  • idiom
: oler
  • Poh Poh's gold earrings glowed softly in the dim light of the bedroom, and Juliet caught a whiff of Yardley's Lily of the Valley.
  • catch a whiff of perfume
  • catch a whiff of scent
  • catch a whiff of smoke

Examples

  • And did you catch a whiff of their breath?

    Fiction book (1995)

  • As she did so, I caught a whiff of the same pungent perfume she had worn when I first knew her.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I caught a whiff of something then.

    Waking Ned (1998)

  • As soon as you walk in the hospital, you can catch a whiff of it.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I, too, thought I caught a whiff of bread baking.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Then she caught a whiff of burnt rubber.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • He starts across the lot and soon catches a whiff of what they're smoking.

  • As Kendra poked her head through the doorway, she caught a whiff of formaldehyde that brought tears to her eyes.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Toni came home from class and, climbing the stairs to their apartment, caught a whiff of a familiar, fruity perfume Marla was fond of.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • As I walked by the bakery, I caught a whiff of fresh bread.

Synonyms

to smell
vsto catch a whiff
∞ 1.0

To notice a scent with your nose

is about briefly noticing a faint odor rather than general detection
to get a whiff
vsto catch a whiff
11 4.7

Smell something briefly, often a strong scent

is the same brief noticing but for faint or slight odors
to scent
vsto catch a whiff
5 3.5

To use the sense of smell to find something, often by animals

is a brief, accidental odor notice rather than an active search

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to overlook
243 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

How Strong

to smell
∞ 1.0
to catch a whiff
4 5.1

Surface Forms

catch a whiff infinitive

Morphology

catch + a + whiff

The meaning 'to notice or briefly sense a slight smell' is directly built from 'catch' (to notice or sense briefly) plus 'whiff' (a quick puff or slight smell), so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE. The indefinite article 'a' is semantically light and the compositional pattern (verb + noun indicating a brief perception) is common cross-linguistically, supporting full transparency for B1 learners.

Etymology

The phrase catch a whiff shows a simple picture: you quickly catch a light whiff of air when a small smell passes by. That's why it means 'to notice or briefly sense a slight smell'.