What does "wisp" mean?
A small bundle, as of straw or other like substance; any slender, flexible structure or group.
Wisp
/wɪsp/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small bundle, as of straw or other like substance; any slender, flexible structure or group.
- Grammar: wisp is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: autoluminescence, bantam, banty, batch.
- Useful contrasts: bulk, certainty, clarity.
- Usage evidence: A wisp of hair fell over his left eye.
How to use "wisp"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wisp" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wisp" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wisp" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wisp" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wisp" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "autoluminescence" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wisp", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small bundle, as of straw or other like substance; any slender, flexible structure or group. countable, uncountable
"A wisp of smoke rose from the candle for a few moments after he blew it out."
- 2 Acronym of wireless internet service provider. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 3 a small tuft or lock wordnet
- 4 A whisk, or small broom. countable, uncountable
- 5 a flock of snipe wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A will o' the wisp, or ignis fatuus. countable, uncountable
"the wisp that flickers where no foot can tread"
- 7 a small bundle of straw or hay wordnet
- 8 An immeasurable, indefinable essence of life; soul. countable, uncountable
"“She would get nothing from him, she saw, resentfully. Then some angel of grace lent her a few wisps, which she grasped."
- 9 a small person wordnet
- 10 A flock of snipe. archaic, countable, uncountable
"They shift their quarters in the early part of the season very suddenly, and if a man hears of a wisp of snipe in any particular place, he must be off at once."
- 11 A disease affecting the feet of cattle. uncountable
Verb
- 1 To brush or dress, as with a wisp. transitive
"The very same head of hair, wisp'd, and matted together, would make the most disagreeable figure."
- 2 To rumple. UK, dialectal, obsolete
- 3 To produce a wisp, as of smoke. intransitive
"To Temple, sitting in the cottonseed-hulls and the corn-cobs, the sound was no louder than the striking of a match: a short, minor sound shutting down the scene, the instant, with a profound finality, completely isolating it, and she sat there, her legs straight before her, her hands limp and palm-up on her lap, looking at Popeye's tight back and the ridges of his coat across his shoulders as he leaned out the door, the pistol behind him, against his flank, wisping thinly along his leg."
- 4 To emit in wisps. transitive
"It looked warm and rosy-bright inside, with a little chimney wisping smoke, little windows glowing."
Example
"A wisp of hair fell over his left eye."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wisp"?
Common synonyms include: autoluminescence, bantam, banty, batch, bioluminescence, broom.
How do you use "wisp" in a sentence?
A wisp of hair fell over his left eye.
How do you pronounce "wisp"?
Pronounced /wɪsp/.
Etymology
From Middle English wispe, wyspe, wips, wipse, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *wisp, *wips. Cognate with West Frisian wisp, Dutch wisp (“bundle of hay or straw”), Norwegian bokmål/Swedish/Bornholm Danish visp (“handful or bundle of grass, hay, etc.”). Akin also to Middle Dutch/Middle Low German wispel (“measure of grain”).