WHIM • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Whim

Add this Dictionary
to your website!
See more options...

/wɪm/ /hwɪm/ Listen

noun

Whim n. (Zool.) The European widgeon. (Prov. Eng.)

Whim n.

A sudden turn or start of the mind; a temporary eccentricity; a freak; a fancy; a capricious notion; a humor; a caprice. "Let every man enjoy his whim."

(Mining) 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; called also whim gin, and whimsey.

Whim gin (Mining), a whim. See Whim, 2.

Whim shaft (Mining), a shaft through which ore, water, etc., is raised from a mine by means of a whim.

Synonyms: Freak; caprice; whimsey; fancy. Whim, Freak, Caprice. Freak denotes an impulsive, inconsiderate change of mind, as by a child or a lunatic. Whim is a mental eccentricity due to peculiar processes or habits of thought. Caprice is closely allied in meaning to freak, but implies more definitely a quality of willfulness or wantonness.

verb

Whim v. i. To be subject to, or indulge in, whims; to be whimsical, giddy, or freakish. (R.)

See images of 'Whim'

Etymology of 'Whim'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

Share |

"Whim" Quotes from Famous Books

... well to note the efficacy of the people's call upon the Government in those early days, and how quickly the response came; not by yielding to gusts of popular whim and caprice; not by conferring benefits upon the few at the expense of the many; but by a quick observation of the fact that the withdrawal of certain rightful privilege by another nation from American settlers had caused them distress, ...

— Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission • Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission

... beyond measure to find myself at last on the very border of the unknown country, and yet checked, held back, by the irresponsible orders of a maiden lady named Smawl. However, my salary depended upon the whim of that maiden lady, and although I fussed and fumed and glared at the mountains through my glasses, I realized that I could not stir without the permission of Miss Smawl. At times this grotesque situation became almost unbearable, ...

— In Search of the Unknown • Robert W. Chambers

... her children to poverty and want, while he wasted his time and strength in chasing a dream. His neighbors jeered at him as a madman, one who put his plain duty aside for the gratification of what seemed to their dull minds merely a whim. His poor wife could hardly be blamed for reproaching him. She could neither understand nor sympathize with his hopes and fears, while she knew that if he followed his trade, he could at least save his family from ...

— Eclectic School Readings: Stories from Life • Orison Swett Marden

... Prussian Constitution." If he defended the prerogative of the Crown he defended the Constitution of his country. A constitution is the collection of rules and laws by which the action of the king is governed; a state without a constitution is a mere Oriental despotism where each arbitrary whim of the king is transmuted into action; this was not what Bismarck desired or defended; there was no danger of this in Prussia. He did not even oppose changes in the law and practice of the Constitution; what he ...

— Bismarck and the Foundation of the German Empire • James Wycliffe Headlam

... "Whim. Old men like to show up on such occasions. They are next of kin to funerals, feel their dust shaking on ...

— The Co-Citizens • Corra Harris

More quotes...