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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024stiff /stɪf/USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, n., adv., v. adj. - rigid or firm:a stiff collar.
- not moving or working easily:The garage door handle gets stiff in the cold.
- (of a person or animal) moving with difficulty or with pain, as from cold, age, etc.:He was stiff from back pain.
- strong;
forceful;
powerful:stiff winds. - strong to the taste or system, as a beverage or medicine:[before a noun]a few stiff drinks at the bar.
- stubbornly continued:a stiff battle.
- very formal or not very friendly:She gave me a stiff, cold smile.
- lacking ease and grace;
clumsy or awkward:a stiff style of writing. - laborious or difficult, as a task:Analyzing all those sales figures was a stiff assignment.
- severe or harsh, as a penalty or demand:a stiff fine.
- unusually high or great;
excessive:a stiff price. - relatively firm in consistency;
thick;
nearly solid:Beat the egg whites until stiff.
n. [countable] - Slang Terms
- a dead body;
corpse. - one who is too formal and unfriendly.
- a poor tipper;
someone not generous;
a tightwad:That stiff left her only fifty cents as a tip! - a drunk.
- a fellow:He's a lucky stiff, winning the lotto on his first try.
adv. - in or to a firm or rigid state.
- completely, intensely, or extremely:scared stiff; bored stiff.
v. [~ + object] - Slang Termsto fail to tip or pay (a waiter, etc.):The customer stiffed the bartender.
stiff•ly, adv. stiff•ness, n. [uncountable] WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024stiff (stif ),USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, n., adv., v. adj. - rigid or firm;
difficult or impossible to bend or flex:a stiff collar. - not moving or working easily:The motor was a little stiff from the cold weather.
- (of a person or animal) not supple;
moving with difficulty, as from cold, age, exhaustion, or injury. - strong;
forceful;
powerful:stiff winds; The fighter threw a stiff right to his opponent's jaw. - strong or potent to the taste or system, as a beverage or medicine:He was cold and wanted a good stiff drink.
- resolute;
firm in purpose;
unyielding;
stubborn. - stubbornly continued:a stiff battle.
- firm against any tendency to decrease, as stock-market prices.
- rigidly formal;
cold and unfriendly, as people, manners, or proceedings. - lacking ease and grace;
awkward:a stiff style of writing. - excessively regular or formal, as a design;
not graceful in form or arrangement. - laborious or difficult, as a task.
- severe or harsh, as a penalty or demand.
- excessive;
unusually high or great:$50 is pretty stiff to pay for that. - firm from tension;
taut:to keep a stiff rein. - relatively firm in consistency, as semisolid matter;
thick:a stiff jelly; a stiff batter. - dense or compact;
not friable:stiff soil. - Nautical, Naval Terms(of a vessel) having a high resistance to rolling;
stable (opposed to crank). - Scottish Termssturdy, stout, or strongly built.
- British Terms[Australian Slang.]out of luck;
unfortunate.
n. - Slang Terms
- a dead body;
corpse. - a formal or priggish person.
- a poor tipper;
tightwad. - a drunk.
- Slang Terms
- a fellow:lucky stiff; poor stiff.
- a tramp;
hobo. - a laborer.
- Slang Terms
- a forged check.
- a promissory note or bill of exchange.
- a letter or note, esp. if secret or smuggled.
- Slang Termsa contestant, esp. a racehorse, sure to lose.
adv. - in or to a firm or rigid state:The wet shirt was frozen stiff.
- completely, intensely, or extremely:I'm bored stiff by these lectures. We're scared stiff.
v.t. - Slang Termsto fail or refuse to tip (a waiter, porter, etc.).
- Slang Termsto cheat;
gyp;
do out of:The company stiffed me out of a week's pay.
- bef. 1000; Middle English (adjective, adjectival and adverb, adverbial); Old English stīf; cognate with German steif; akin to stifle1, steeve1
stiff′ly, adv.
stiff′ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged unbending, unyielding. See firm 1.
- 6.See corresponding entry in Unabridged unrelenting, resolved, obstinate, pertinacious.
- 9.See corresponding entry in Unabridged reserved, constrained, starched, prim.
- 10.See corresponding entry in Unabridged graceless, inelegant.
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