whim

CEFRB2

/wɪm/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sudden wish or idea that may change quickly.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A large capstan or vertical drum turned by horse power or steam power, for raising ore or water, etc., from mines, or for other purposes.

Examples

  • At work they are at the whim of the boss.

  • Father was generous enough to indulge my every whim.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ʍɪm/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. To be seized with a whim; to be capricious.

  2. A fanciful impulse, or sudden change of idea.

  3. A bird, the Eurasian wigeon.

More examples

In context

  • Let ev’ry Man enjoy his whim; / What’s He to Me, or I to him?

  • “No, it is not for a wager; it is a whim of mine, which I fancy from the tone of your conversation you could understand, being apparently somewhat whimsical yourself.” “So far as whim goes, be assured of my sympathy.”

  • In an internet-dominated world where vain techlords rule us by whim, sovereign governments seem reduced to the role of rearguard guerrillas.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

On a sudden blank she decided to travel to Paris for the weekend.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Clipping of whim-wham.