Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense buffs, present participle buffing, past tense, past participle buffed
1. colour
Something that is buff is pale brown in colour.
He took a largish buff envelope from his pocket.
2. countable noun
You use buff to describe someone who knows a lot about a particular subject. For example, if you describe someone as a film buff, you mean that they know a lot about films.
[informal]
Judge Lanier is a real film buff.
Any competent computer buff should be able to do it for you in a few minutes.
Synonyms: expert, fan, addict, enthusiast More Synonyms of buff
3. graded adjective
You can describe someone, especially a man, as buff if they are in good physical shape with large muscles.
[informal]
We all want to get a buff athlete's body.
Synonyms: fawn, cream, tan, beige More Synonyms of buff
4. verb
If you buff the surface of something, for example your car or your shoes, you rub it with a piece of soft material in order to make it shine.
He was already buffing the car's hubs. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: polish, clean, smooth, brush More Synonyms of buff
buffinguncountable noun
Regular buffing helps prevent nails from splitting.
buff in British English1
(bʌf)
noun
1.
a.
a soft thick flexible undyed leather made chiefly from the skins of buffalo, oxen, and elk
b.
(as modifier)
a buff coat
2.
a.
a dull yellow or yellowish-brown colour
b.
(as adjective)
buff paint
3. Also called: buffer
a.
a cloth or pad of material used for polishing an object
b.
a flexible disc or wheel impregnated with a fine abrasive for polishing metals, etc, with a power tool
4. informal
one's bare skin (esp in the phrase in the buff)
verb
5.
to clean or polish (a metal, floor, shoes, etc) with a buff
6.
to remove the grain surface of (a leather)
adjective
7. informal
fit; attractive
Word origin
C16: from Old French buffle, from Old Italian bufalo, from Late Latin būfalusbuffalo
buff in British English2
(bʌf)
verb
1. (transitive)
to deaden the force of
noun
2. archaic
a blow or buffet (now only in the phrase blind man's buff)
Word origin
C15: back formation from buffet2
buff in British English3
(bʌf)
noun
informal
an expert on or devotee of a given subject
a cheese buff
Word origin
C20: originally US: an enthusiastic fire watcher, from the buff-coloured uniformsworn by volunteer firefighters in New York City
buff in American English1
(bʌf)
noun
1.
a heavy, soft, brownish-yellow leather made from the skin of the buffalo or from other animalhides
2.
a military coat made of this leather
3.
a.
a stick or small block covered with leather or cloth, used for cleaning or shining
b.
buffing wheel
4.
a dull brownish yellow
5. US, Informal
a devotee or enthusiast, as of a particular area of interest
a jazz buff
adjective
6.
made of buff
7.
of the color buff
8. Slang
physically, often sexually attractive, as by being pleasingly fit and muscular or having a sexually desirable figure
verb transitive
9.
to clean or shine with a buff or treated cloth
10.
to make smooth or soft like buff
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈpolish
Idioms:
in the buff
Word origin
earlier buffe, buffalo < Fr buffle < It bufalo, buffalo
buff in American English2
(bʌf)
noun
1.
a blow
see also blindman's buff
verb transitive
2.
to lessen the force of
verb intransitive
3.
to be a buffer
Word origin
ME & OFr buffe: see buffet1
Examples of 'buff' in a sentence
buff
This beautiful book is a fitting tribute that any film buff will devour.
The Sun (2017)
Does that mean you're a big movie buff?
The Sun (2016)
And by the end you feel as though you've been playing blind man 's buff.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Now luckily for movie buffs the massive heist is being turned into exactly that.
The Sun (2015)
Remove excess wax with a dry cloth and buff to shine.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Train buffs will read this book anyway.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We all know a face scrub is essential to buff away dead skin cells.
The Sun (2013)
Wine buffs regularly dismiss it as beneath them.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Film buffs and geeks will be amused.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They say that men are getting them as they increasingly hit the gym in an attempt to get a buff body.
The Sun (2013)
Get extra shine on your shoes by using a bit of spit on a cloth when you buff up the polish.
The Sun (2010)
Music buffs complain about sound quality.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Spray on to a soft cloth, wipe away the grime and buff to a shine.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The Sun columnist said car buffs moaned it had become an entertainment show for the terminally childish.
The Sun (2007)
Apply sparingly and buff with a clean, dry cloth.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Looks like she's becoming a real fashion buff.
The Sun (2015)
And let me tell you, the man is buff.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
To get a buff body, of course.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Let it dry to a haze then buff to a shine, and if scratches are still visible repeat.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Gel polish can also be applied to acrylic nails, but you have to buff away the surface shine first.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Word lists with
buff
yellow
In other languages
buff
British English: buff ADJECTIVE
Something that is buff is pale brown in colour.
He took a largish buff envelope from his pocket.
American English: buff
Brazilian Portuguese: cor de camurça
Chinese: 牛皮色
European Spanish: beis
French: couleur chamoisN
German: gelbbraun
Italian: giallognolo
Japanese: 薄茶色
Korean: 담황색
European Portuguese: cor de camurça
Latin American Spanish: beis
British English: buff NOUN
You use buff to describe someone who knows a lot about a particular subject.
He is a real film buff.
American English: buff
Brazilian Portuguese: aficionado
Chinese: 爱好者
European Spanish: aficionado
French: mordu
German: Fan
Italian: patito
Japanese: 通
Korean: 광
European Portuguese: aficionado
Latin American Spanish: aficionado
All related terms of 'buff'
film buff
a connoisseur of or expert on cinema and films
buff wheel
a wheel covered with a soft material, such as lamb's wool or leather , used for shining and polishing
blindman's buff
a game in which a blindfolded player has to catch and identify another player
in the buff
naked; nude
buff-tip moth
a large European moth , Phalera bucephala , having violet-brown buff-tipped forewings held at rest around the body so that it resembles a snapped-off twig
blind man's buff
a game in which a blindfolded person tries to catch and identify the other players
buffing wheel
a wheel covered with a soft material, such as lamb's wool or leather , used for shining and polishing
Chinese translation of 'buff'
buff
(bʌf)
n(c)
(inf, = enthusiast) 爱(愛)好者 (àihàozhě) (名, míng)
adj
(in colour) 暗黄(黃)色的 (ànhuángsè de)
vt
(= polish) 擦亮 (cāliàng)
(adjective)
Definition
dull yellowish-brown
a buff envelope
Synonyms
fawn
She put on a light fawn coat.
cream
tan
beige
yellowish
ecru
straw-coloured
sand-coloured
yellowish-brown
biscuit-coloured
camel-coloured
oatmeal-coloured
(verb)
Definition
to clean or polish (a metal, floor, shoes, etc.) with a buff
He was already buffing the car's hubs.
Synonyms
polish
Every morning he polished his shoes.
clean
smooth
She smoothed the lotion across his shoulder blades.
brush
Have you brushed your teeth?
shine
Let him dust and shine the furniture.
rub
She took off her glasses and rubbed them.
wax
brighten
Her tearful eyes brightened with interest.
burnish
His shoes were burnished, his shirt perfectly pressed.
idiom
See in the buff
see also subject word lists:
See Shades of brownSee Shades of yellow
(noun)
Definition
an expert on or devotee of a given subject
(informal)
She is a real film buff.
Synonyms
expert
an expert in computer graphics
fan
addict
She's a TV addict and watches as much as she can.
enthusiast
He is a great sports enthusiast.
freak (informal)
He's a self-confessed computer freak.
admirer
He was an admirer of her grandmother's paintings.
whizz (informal)
Simon's a whizz at card tricks.
devotee
She is a devotee of Bach's music.
connoisseur
I hear you're something of an art connoisseur.
boffin (British, informal)
a computer boffin
fiend (informal)
a strong-tea fiend
grandmaster
hotshot (informal)
aficionado
You are obviously a jazz aficionado.
wonk (informal)
maven (US)
fundi (South Africa)
The local fundi are wonderfully adept and have created a car adapted to hunting.