Whim Meaning
/wɪm/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA fanciful impulse, or sudden change of idea.
nounA large capstan or vertical drum turned by horse power or steam power, for raising ore or water, etc., from mines, or for other purposes.
Sentence Examples
Father was generous enough to indulge my every whim.
At work they are at the whim of the boss.
CEFR Practice Quiz
On a sudden ____ she decided to travel to Paris for the weekend.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She decided to buy the expensive dress on a ____, even though she didn't really need any several new clothes today.
Word Origin & History
Clipping of whim-wham.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Let ev’ry Man enjoy his whim; / What’s He to Me, or I to him?"
— 1763, Charles Churchill, The Ghost, book IV, J. Coote, →OCLC, page 137:
"“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.”"
— 1873, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], Kenelm Chillingly: His Adventures and Opinions […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC:
"The king was tired of this whim of hers long ago, and thought she ought to get married like other people; there was nothing she need wait for, she was old enough and she would not be any richer either, for she was to have half the kingdom, which she inherited after her mother."
— 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H. L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 269:
"[…]the unholy stone whereon Tess had been compelled by Alec d’Urberville, in his whim of reformation, to swear the strange oath that she would never wilfully tempt him again."
— 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC:
"[…]“I am sorry to make you the victim of what may seem a mere whim, but on my life, Watson, I simply can’t leave that case in this condition."
— 1904 September, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Abbey Grange”, in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., published February 1905, →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
On a sudden ____ she decided to travel to Paris for the weekend.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She decided to buy the expensive dress on a ____, even though she didn't really need any several new clothes today.