1
: a capricious or eccentric and often sudden idea or turn of the mind : fancy
quit his job on a whim
2
: a large capstan that is made with one or more radiating arms to which a horse may be yoked and that is used in mines for raising ore or water
Examples of whim in a Sentence
It's hard to predict voters' whims.
on a whim, we stopped at the roadside stand to get ice cream
Recent Examples on the Web
But the lockdowns made clear that the party was willing to sacrifice those gains, and people’s safety more broadly, at the whims of one man, Xi Jinping.
—
Vivian Wang, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2025
But in this new climate, where corporate parents are hostage to Trump’s whims — MSNBC’s parent, Comcast, is, for instance, spinning off the network and likely hoping to sell it, which will need regulatory approval from Trump’s FCC — news divisions don’t seem to have much of a chance.
—Michael Wolff, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025
Our justice system and many of those in federal service have been forced not to allegiance to the American public but allegiance to the whims of a budding dictator.
—Peter Buonome, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
Sunday's meeting took place after Starmer welcomed a cohort of European leaders to London for a fresh summit, designed to hash out a continental plan of action to secure a peace deal in Ukraine that was not entirely at Washington's whim.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whim
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Vivian Wang, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2025
But in this new climate, where corporate parents are hostage to Trump’s whims — MSNBC’s parent, Comcast, is, for instance, spinning off the network and likely hoping to sell it, which will need regulatory approval from Trump’s FCC — news divisions don’t seem to have much of a chance.
—Michael Wolff, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025
Our justice system and many of those in federal service have been forced not to allegiance to the American public but allegiance to the whims of a budding dictator.
—Peter Buonome, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
Sunday's meeting took place after Starmer welcomed a cohort of European leaders to London for a fresh summit, designed to hash out a continental plan of action to secure a peace deal in Ukraine that was not entirely at Washington's whim.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whim
Cite this Entry
“Whim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whim. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whim
noun
ˈhwim 
ˈwim
: an odd or sudden wish, desire, or change of mind
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