waif

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The day after she and her husband, Jack, sculpt the figure of a child out of snow, an ethereal waif emerges from the wilderness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The trial heard him described as a "ruffian" and a "street waif" who never stood still.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2025

“She was not just a little waif blowing in the wind,” Judge Jackson said.

From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2023

One might wonder whether the fictional narrative of the beleaguered waif in a judgmental small town is Owens’s way of addressing something in her own past.

From Washington Post • Jul. 13, 2022

“In case you haven’t noticed, you waif, you are about to be hooked on the cowcatcher of that streetcar.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole