Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense stuffs, present participle stuffing, past tense, past participle stuffed
1. uncountable noun
You can use stuff to refer to things such as a substance, a collection of things, events, or ideas, or the contents of something in a general way without mentioning the thing itself by name.
[informal]
I'd like some coffee, and I don't object to the powdered stuff if it's all you'vegot.
I don't know anything about this antique stuff.
'What do you want to know?'—'About life and stuff.'
Don't tell me you still believe in all that stuff?
He pointed to a duffle bag.'That's my stuff.'
Synonyms: things, gear, possessions, effects More Synonyms of stuff
2. verb
If you stuff something somewhere, you push it there quickly and roughly.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
He stuffed the newspapers into a litter bin and headed down the street. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
His pants were stuffed inside the tops of his boots. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: shove, force, push, squeeze More Synonyms of stuff
3. verb
If you stuff a container or space with something, you fill it with something or with a quantity of things until it is full.
He grabbed my purse, opened it and stuffed it full, then gave it back to me. [VERB noun adjective]
He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn. [VERB noun + with]
...wallets stuffed with dollars. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: cram, fill, pack, load More Synonyms of stuff
4. verb
If you stuffyourself, you eat a lot of food.
[informal]
I could stuff myself with ten chocolate bars and half an hour later eat a big meal. [V pron-refl prep]
stuffedadjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]
But you're just so stuffed you won't be able to drink anything.
5. verb
If you stuff a bird such as a chicken or a vegetable such as a pepper, you put a mixture of food inside it before cooking it.
Will you stuff the turkey and shove it in the oven for me? [VERB noun]
...stuffed tomatoes. [VERB-ed]
6. verb [usually passive]
If a dead animal is stuffed, it is filled with a substance so that it can be preserved and displayed.
A pike weighing 29 lb 8 oz taken in 1878 was stuffed and is on display at the estateoffice. [beVERB-ed]
He didn't much care for the stuffed animal heads that hung on the walls. [VERB-ed]
7. singular noun [theNOUNof noun]
If you say that one thing is the stuff of another, you mean that the first thing is a very important feature or characteristic of the second thing, or that the second thing can be based or builton the first thing.
[formal]
The idea that we can be whatever we want has become the stuff of television commercials.
Synonyms: substance, material, essence, matter More Synonyms of stuff
8. exclamation
If you are angry with someone for something that they have said or done, you might say 'Get stuffed!' to them.
[British, informal, rude, feelings]
9. verb
Stuff is used in front of nouns to emphasize that you do not care about something, or do not want it.
[informal, emphasis]
Ultimately my attitude was: stuff them. [VERB noun]
Stuff your money. We don't want a handout. [VERB noun]
10.
See do one's stuff
11.
See know one's stuff
12. to strut your stuff
More Synonyms of stuff
stuff in British English
(stʌf)
verb(mainly tr)
1.
to pack or fill completely; cram
2. (intransitive)
to eat large quantities
3.
to force, shove, or squeeze
to stuff money into a pocket
4.
to fill (food such as poultry or tomatoes) with a stuffing
5.
to fill (an animal's skin) with material so as to restore the shape of the live animal
6. vulgar, slang
to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)
7. tanning
to treat (an animal skin or hide) with grease
8. US and Canadian
to fill (a ballot box) with a large number of fraudulent votes
9.
(in marine transport) to pack (a container)
See also stuffing and stripping
10. slang
to ruin, frustrate, or defeat
noun
11.
the raw material or fabric of something
12.
woollen cloth or fabric
13.
any general or unspecified substance or accumulation of objects
14.
stupid or worthless actions, speech, ideas, etc
15.
subject matter, skill, etc
he knows his stuff
16. a slang word for money
17. slang
a drug, esp cannabis
18. British offensive, slang
a person, esp a woman, considered sexually (esp in the phrase bit of stuff)
19. do one's stuff
20. that's the stuff
▶ USAGE Sense 6 of this word was formerly considered to be taboo, and it was labelled as suchin older editions of Collins English Dictionary. However, it is now acceptable in speech, although more conservative people may objectto its use
Derived forms
stuffer (ˈstuffer)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French estoffe, from estoffer to furnish, provide, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German stopfen to cram full
stuff in American English
(stʌf)
noun
1.
the material or substance out of which anything is or can be made; raw material
2.
constituent elements or basic nature; essence; character
a man made of stern stuff
3.
matter or substance of an unspecified or generalized kind
4.
cloth, esp. woolen cloth
5.
a.
household goods
b.
personal belongings
c.
things in general; objects
d.
things grouped together or viewed in a certain way
6.
something to be drunk, swallowed, etc.
; specif.,
a.
a medicine
b. US, Slang
a drug, as heroin
7.
worthless objects; refuse; junk
8.
a.
anything said, done, written, composed, etc.; talk or action of a specified kind
b.
foolish or worthless ideas, words, actions, etc.
stuff and nonsense!
9. Informal
a.
basic ability; capability
b.
superior ability; exceptional capability
c. US
special skill or knowledge; specialty
to do or know one's stuff
10. US, Informal
a.
ability of a baseball pitcher, billiards player, etc. to control the ball, esp. to make it curve or spin
b.
such control, or speed, a curve, spin, etc. given to a ball
11. US, Basketball; Slang
a dunk shot
verb transitive
12.
to fill the inside of (something); pack
; specif.,
a.
to fill (a cushion, chair, toy, etc.) with padding or stuffing
b.
to fill the skin of (a dead animal, bird, etc.) in taxidermy
c.
to fill (a chicken, turkey, etc.) with seasoning, bread crumbs, etc. before roasting
13.
a.
to fill too full; cram; overload
b.
to fill to excess with food
14.
to pack, cram, or crowd (something) into a container, etc.
15.
to fill with information, ideas, etc.
to stuff one's head with facts
16. US
to put fraudulent votes into (a ballot box)
17.
a.
to plug; block
b.
to choke up or stop up, as with phlegm
18.
to force or push
to stuff money into a wallet
19.
to treat (leather) with a preparation designed to soften and preserve it
20. Basketball; Slang
to dunk (a basketball)
21. American Football
to stop, often overwhelmingly, (a runner, team, etc.) for little or no yardage
verb intransitive
22.
to eat too much or too quickly
Word origin
ME stoffe < OFr estoffe < estoffer, prob. < Gr styphein, to pull together, tighten < styppe, tow, coarse cloth of flax or hemp: see stop
More idioms containing
stuff
strut your stuff
Examples of 'stuff' in a sentence
stuff
We put the external stuff to one side.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Good sober stuff for a new school year.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Is there something which enables stuff like this to happen?
The Sun (2012)
It is very hard to persuade them that some of us want the proper stuff.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
That stuff was going on back in these times.
Christianity Today (2000)
We are also happy to see that he loves being a tender daddy to his stuffed animals.
Martin, April The Guide to Lesbian and Gay Parenting (1993)
Who does the regular stuff that makes life feel just that little bit more normal.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They were also stuffed full of a lot more sugar.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Police found the fridge and oven stuffed with rotten food.
The Sun (2013)
The location of a film is often dismissed as merely a backdrop to the important stuff.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
My own feeling for the stuff is a bit more tangible.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It will be interesting to sit people down and make them eat this stuff.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Would our leaders feel guilty about stuffing ballot boxes to stay in power?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There are places to go and things to do and stuff you would like to try.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You can stuff anything down the pipe.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Then stuff the inside of the fish with the fresh coriander.
The Sun (2013)
Your reward for not stuffing things up?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Is the idea that older people know more stuff about to become extinct?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
You need to do the easy stuff first.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Some people say stuff they mean and other times people say stuff for a crowd.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
People are always going to say stuff but you ignore it because you are so used to it.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We like to dress a house to the period, so most of our stuff was antique furniture.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
There are just two suites, both overlooking the sea, stuffed with antiques and marble trims.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Word lists with
stuff
fabric
In other languages
stuff
British English: stuff /stʌf/ NOUN
You can use stuff to refer to things in a general way, without mentioning the things themselves by name.
Don't tell me you still believe in all that stuff!
American English: stuff
Arabic: أَشْيَاء
Brazilian Portuguese: coisas
Chinese: 物件
Croatian: stvari
Czech: věci
Danish: sager
Dutch: spul
European Spanish: bártulos
Finnish: aine
French: trucs
German: Stoff Masse
Greek: πράγματα
Italian: roba
Japanese: もの 材料
Korean: 물질
Norwegian: saker og ting
Polish: rzeczy
European Portuguese: coisas
Romanian: lucruri
Russian: материал
Latin American Spanish: cosas
Swedish: saker
Thai: สิ่งต่างๆ
Turkish: madde
Ukrainian: речі
Vietnamese: những thứ
British English: stuff VERB
If you stuff something somewhere, you push it there quickly and roughly.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets.
American English: stuff
Brazilian Portuguese: enfiar
Chinese: 把…塞进
European Spanish: meter
French: mettre
German: stopfen
Italian: ficcare
Japanese: 押し込む
Korean: 쑤셔 넣다
European Portuguese: enfiar
Latin American Spanish: meter
All related terms of 'stuff'
hot stuff
If you think that someone or something is hot stuff , you find them exciting or sexually attractive.
kid stuff
something appropriate for children only
sob stuff
material such as films, stories , etc, that play upon the emotions by the overuse of pathos and sentiment
hard stuff
strongly addictive drugs
kids' stuff
something considered fit only for children
right stuff
the necessary or ideal qualities or capabilities , as courage , confidence , dependability, toughness , or daring
rough stuff
violence
small stuff
any light twine or yarn used aboard ship for serving lines, etc
stuff gown
a woollen gown worn by a barrister who has not taken silk
feeding stuff
any material used as a food, esp for animals
do one's stuff
If you do your stuff , you perform an activity in the way that people expect.
know one's stuff
If you say that someone knows their stuff , you mean that they are good at doing something because they know a lot about it.
strut one's stuff
to behave or perform in a proud and confident manner; show off
strut your stuff
to do something which you know you are good at in a proud and confident way in order to impress other people
that's the stuff
that is what is needed
dunk shot
a shot in which the shooter leaps up and throws the ball down through the basket
made of sterner stuff
If you say that someone is made of sterner stuff , you mean that they have a strong personality and are capable of overcoming difficulties and problems .
to strut your stuff
If you strut your stuff , you act in a proud way and show off.