stuff

[stuhf]

noun

1. the material of which anything is made.

   a hard, crystalline stuff.

2. material to be worked upon or to be used in making something.

   wood, steel, and other stuff for building.

3. material of some unspecified kind.

   a cushion filled with some soft stuff.

4. Chiefly British.,  woven material or fabric, especially wool.

5. property, as personal belongings or equipment; things.

6. something to be swallowed, as food, drink, or medicine.

7. inward character, qualities, or capabilities.

   to have good stuff in one.

8. Informal.,  action or talk of a particular kind.

   kid stuff; Cut out the rough stuff.

9. worthless things or matter.

   to clean the stuff out of a closet.

   Synonyms: trash, rubbish, waste, refuse, litter, debris, junk

10. worthless or foolish ideas, talk, or writing.

    a lot of stuff and nonsense.

    Synonyms: balderdash, claptrap, twaddle, nonsense, rigmarole, gibberish, blather

11. 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.

12. Informal.,  journalistic, literary, artistic, dramatic, musical, or other compositions or performances.

    Bach composed some splendid stuff.

13. Informal.,  one's trade, skill, field, facts, etc..

    She knows her stuff.

14. Slang.,  any kind of drug, especially an illicit one.

15. Also called stock. Papermaking.,  refined and beaten wet pulp ready for spreading on the wire.

verb (used with object)

1. to fill (a receptacle), especially by packing the contents closely together; cram full.

2. to fill (an aperture, cavity, etc.) by forcing something into it.

3. to fill or line with some kind of material as a padding or packing.

4. to fill or cram (oneself, one's stomach, etc.) with food.

5. Cooking.,  to fill (meat, vegetables, etc.) with seasoned breadcrumbs or other savory matter.

6. to fill the preserved skin of (a dead animal) with material, retaining its natural form and appearance for display.

7. to put fraudulent votes into (a ballot box).

8. to thrust or cram (something) into a receptacle, cavity, or the like.

   Synonyms: stow, ram, press, compress, jam

9. to pack tightly in a confined place; crowd together.

10. to crowd (a vehicle, room, etc.) with persons.

11. to clutter or fill (the mind) with facts, details, etc.

12. (in leather manufacturing) to treat (a skin, hide, etc.) with a composition of tallow and other ingredients.

13. to stop up or plug; block or choke (usually followed byup ).

    Synonyms: obstruct, clog

verb (used without object)

1. to cram oneself with food; eat gluttonously; gorge.

stuff

/ stʌf /

verb

1. to pack or fill completely; cram

2. (intr) 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. slang,  to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)

7. tanning to treat (an animal skin or hide) with grease

8. 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

1. the raw material or fabric of something

2. woollen cloth or fabric

3. any general or unspecified substance or accumulation of objects

4. stupid or worthless actions, speech, ideas, etc

5. subject matter, skill, etc

   he knows his stuff

6. a slang word for money

7. slang,  a drug, esp cannabis

8. slang,  a girl or woman considered sexually (esp in the phrase bit of stuff )

9. informal,  to do what is expected of one

10. that is what is needed

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

Other Word Forms

• stuffer noun
• stuffless adjective
• restuff verb (used with object)
• understuff verb (used with object)
• unstuff verb (used with object)
• unstuffed adjective
• well-stuffed adjective

Word 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

Word 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

Idioms and Phrases

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

Synonym Study

See matter.

Example Sentences

We stuffed my belongings into my tiny Fiat 500 and drove cross-country.

From Los Angeles Times

“Expectations are the great killer, though. We don’t talk about those. ... There’s a lot of reasons why I feel there’s a chance for us to do some cool stuff.”

From Los Angeles Times

They’re just assuming there’s a lot of bad stuff about him the FBI turned up.

From Salon

As ever, there is always scope for unforeseen wrinkles or unrelated stuff that pushes things back a bit.

From BBC

"This stuff's dangerous... for adults and it's highly dangerous for children," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• cram 
• fill 
• pack 
• pad 
• shove 
• squeeze 
• stow 
• wedge