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
Synonyms
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
Ballot initiatives are one way for voters to assert their power over the political whims of state legislatures or courts.
—
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The series follows Elena’s increasingly unhinged behavior as the sycophants around her fall all over themselves to cater to her every whim.
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024
But the program’s founding myth has protected the program from political whims.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Just as cruise itineraries can sometimes be subject to last-minute changes, safaris are at the whim of wild animals.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
As a result, citizens are increasingly subject to the whims of the military rather than to the rule of law.
—Gustavo Flores-Macías, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
Helping SpaceX or Blue Origin build towering rockets, orbiting labs or moon landers can also mean serving at the whims of mercurial executives.
—Aashna Shah, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
First, book one of the splashy suites or villas at one of the area's high-end hotels, to get to enjoy that Gilded Age extravagance, with staff attending to your every whim both in your room and by the pool or beach.
—Alex Apatoff, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
This gave them an essential role and stake in both a pluralistic democracy and a capitalist economy — without being subject to the whims of politics or industry.
—Pamela Paul, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The series follows Elena’s increasingly unhinged behavior as the sycophants around her fall all over themselves to cater to her every whim.
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024
But the program’s founding myth has protected the program from political whims.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Just as cruise itineraries can sometimes be subject to last-minute changes, safaris are at the whim of wild animals.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
As a result, citizens are increasingly subject to the whims of the military rather than to the rule of law.
—Gustavo Flores-Macías, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
Helping SpaceX or Blue Origin build towering rockets, orbiting labs or moon landers can also mean serving at the whims of mercurial executives.
—Aashna Shah, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
First, book one of the splashy suites or villas at one of the area's high-end hotels, to get to enjoy that Gilded Age extravagance, with staff attending to your every whim both in your room and by the pool or beach.
—Alex Apatoff, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
This gave them an essential role and stake in both a pluralistic democracy and a capitalist economy — without being subject to the whims of politics or industry.
—Pamela Paul, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whim.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near whim
Cite this Entry
“Whim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whim. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whim
noun
ˈhwim 
ˈwim
: an odd or sudden wish, desire, or change of mind
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