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waif

[wayf] / weɪf /
NOUN
lost or unclaimed person or thing
Synonyms


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.

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In a meticulously crafted stop-motion world of gritty dockside poverty, a starving waif discovers the neglected girl in a shabby home weeps not teardrops but pearls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026

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

After three hours of wine and words, the priests took their leave ... all but the kindly man, the waif, and the one whose face bore the marks of plague.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin


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