From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwaftwaft /wɑːft, wɒft $ wɑːft, wæft/ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition]MOVE/CHANGE POSITION if a smell, smoke, or a light wind wafts somewhere, or if something wafts it somewhere, it moves gently through the airwaft up/through/over etc Cooking smells wafted up from downstairs.2 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if sounds waft somewhere, you hear them there and they are pleasant but not very loudwaft up/through/over etc The sound of laughter wafted through the open window. → drift→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
waft• An unpleasant smell seemed to waft from the airline bag Mary always carried to school.• Around eight o'clock the sound of distant brass bands can again be heard wafting in through the bedroom windows.• But still, always wafting on the air here, are the screams and laughter of happy customers.• The chef also goes with scallops, and as we both eat contentedly, classical music wafts softly throughout the well-appointed room.• Downtown Atlanta is normally an unhurried place where the noontime odor of fried chicken wafts through the thick humidity.• A smell of bacon and eggs wafted up from the kitchen.waft up/through/over etc• The smoke wafts through a neighborhood called, appropriately enough, Fire Town, and flames occasionally dart from the earth.• A smell of bacon and eggs wafted up from the kitchen.• A breath of cold, fresh air wafted over his face, as the heavy wooden square eased up a few inches.• The talk began to waft over me, Halema's guttural Arabic being too quick and too difficult for me to catch.• The smoke wafted up my nose like incense.• Tear gas wafted over the old section of the city as police forcibly drove the crowd back.• The smell of money is wafting through the pines.• Downtown Atlanta is normally an unhurried place where the noontime odor of fried chicken wafts through the thick humidity.waft up/through/over etc• The smoke wafts through a neighborhood called, appropriately enough, Fire Town, and flames occasionally dart from the earth.• A smell of bacon and eggs wafted up from the kitchen.• A breath of cold, fresh air wafted over his face, as the heavy wooden square eased up a few inches.• The talk began to waft over me, Halema's guttural Arabic being too quick and too difficult for me to catch.• The smoke wafted up my nose like incense.• Tear gas wafted over the old section of the city as police forcibly drove the crowd back.• The smell of money is wafting through the pines.• Downtown Atlanta is normally an unhurried place where the noontime odor of fried chicken wafts through the thick humidity.Origin waft (1600-1700) waft “to guard a group of ships as they sail along” ((16-17 centuries)), from Middle Dutch wachten “to watch, guard” 