STUFF Definition & Meaning

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stuff

[ stuhf ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the material of which anything is made:
a hard, crystalline stuff.
material to be worked upon or to be used in making something:
wood, steel, and other stuff for building.
material of some unspecified kind:
a cushion filled with some soft stuff.
Chiefly British. woven material or fabric, especially wool.
property, as personal belongings or equipment; things.
something to be swallowed, as food, drink, or medicine.
inward character, qualities, or capabilities:
to have good stuff in one.
Informal. action or talk of a particular kind:
kid stuff; Cut out the rough stuff.
worthless things or matter:
to clean the stuff out of a closet.
Synonyms: , , , , , ,
worthless or foolish ideas, talk, or writing:
a lot of stuff and nonsense.
Synonyms: , , , , , ,
Sports.
1. Baseball. the assortment of pitches that a pitcher uses in a game together with the ability to deliver them in the proper manner at the right speed to the desired spot:
  He saved his best stuff for the tougher hitters in the lineup.
2. spin or speed imparted to a ball, as by a baseball pitcher, a bowler, or a tennis player:
  a pitch with plenty of stuff.
Informal. journalistic, literary, artistic, dramatic, musical, or other compositions or performances:
Bach composed some splendid stuff.
Informal. one's trade, skill, field, facts, etc.:
She knows her stuff.
Slang. any kind of drug, especially an illicit one.
Also called stock. Papermaking. refined and beaten wet pulp ready for spreading on the wire.

verb (used with object)

to fill (a receptacle), especially by packing the contents closely together; cram full.
to fill (an aperture, cavity, etc.) by forcing something into it.
to fill or line with some kind of material as a padding or packing.
to fill or cram (oneself, one's stomach, etc.) with food.
Cooking. to fill (meat, vegetables, etc.) with seasoned breadcrumbs or other savory matter.
to fill the preserved skin of (a dead animal) with material, retaining its natural form and appearance for display.
to put fraudulent votes into (a ballot box).
to thrust or cram (something) into a receptacle, cavity, or the like.
Synonyms: , , , ,
to pack tightly in a confined place; crowd together.
to crowd (a vehicle, room, etc.) with persons.
to clutter or fill (the mind) with facts, details, etc.
(in leather manufacturing) to treat (a skin, hide, etc.) with a composition of tallow and other ingredients.
to stop up or plug; block or choke (usually followed by up ).
Synonyms: ,

verb (used without object)

to cram oneself with food; eat gluttonously; gorge.

stuff

/ ��ʌ�� /

verb

to pack or fill completely; cram
intr to eat large quantities
to force, shove, or squeeze
to stuff money into a pocket
to fill (food such as poultry or tomatoes) with a stuffing
to fill (an animal's skin) with material so as to restore the shape of the live animal
slang.
to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)
tanning to treat (an animal skin or hide) with grease
to fill (a ballot box) with a large number of fraudulent votes
(in marine transport) to pack (a container) See also stuffing and stripping
slang.
to ruin, frustrate, or defeat

noun

the raw material or fabric of something
woollen cloth or fabric
any general or unspecified substance or accumulation of objects
stupid or worthless actions, speech, ideas, etc
subject matter, skill, etc
he knows his stuff
a slang word for money
slang.
a drug, esp cannabis
slang.
a girl or woman considered sexually (esp in the phrase bit of stuff )
do one's stuff informal.
to do what is expected of one
that's the stuff
that is what is needed

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Usage

Sense 6 of this word was formerly considered to be taboo, and it was labelled as such in previous editions of Collins English Dictionary . However, it has now become acceptable in speech, although some older or more conservative people may object to its use

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Derived Forms

ˈ��ٳܴڴڱ��, noun

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��ٳܴڴ�l�� adjective
��·��ٳܴڴ� verb (used with object)
�ܲ�d��·��ٳܴڴ� verb (used with object)
�ܲ�·��ٳܴڴ� verb (used with object)
�ܲ�·��ٳܴڴڱ�� adjective
�ɱ��-��ٳܴڴڱ�� adjective

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of stuff¹

First recorded in 1300–50; (verb) late Middle English stuffen “to equip, furnish,” from Old French estoffer literally, “to stuff,” from unattested Frankish stopfōn, stoppōn; (noun) Middle English, from Old French estoffe, derivative of the verb; stop

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of stuff¹

C14: from Old French estoffe, from estoffer to furnish, provide, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German stopfen to cram full

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Idioms and Phrases

get stuffed
hot number (stuff)
kid stuff
know one's stuff
strut one's stuff

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Synonym Study

See matter.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But how could I not arrive stuffed to the gills?

From

Use it to garnish steamed clams or mussels or mix it into a savory stuffing for roasted oysters.

From

He frequently holes up at a back table for hours with his laptop and mounds of documents, stopping only to take calls outside while my wife’s workers keep an eye on his stuff.

From

"I just don't see any merit to dying slow and painfully, hooked up with stuff - intubation, feeding tubes," he told me.

From

“It’s just 10 million stories and timelines,” he told the trade, “so I’m trying to narrow stuff down.”

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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