chaff
1 Americannoun
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the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing.
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straw cut up for fodder.
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worthless matter; refuse.
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the membranous, usually dry, brittle bracts of the flowers of certain plants.
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Also called window. Military. strips of metal foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar by creating false blips.
verb (used with or without object)
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chaffs,
present (3rd person singular)
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chaffed,
past participle, past
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chaffing
present participle
noun
noun
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the mass of husks, etc, separated from the seeds during threshing
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finely cut straw and hay used to feed cattle
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something of little worth; rubbish (esp in the phrase separate the wheat from the chaff )
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the dry membranous bracts enclosing the flowers of certain composite plants
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thin strips of metallic foil released into the earth's atmosphere to confuse radar signals and prevent detection
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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chaffernoun
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chafflessadjective
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chafflikeadjective
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chaffyadjective
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unchaffedadjective
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unchaffingadjective
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chaffinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chaffsimple
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chaffssimple
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have chaffedperfect
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has chaffedperfect
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am chaffingprogressive
-
are chaffingprogressive
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is chaffingprogressive
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have been chaffingperfect progressive
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has been chaffingperfect progressive
Past
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chaffedsimple
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had chaffedperfect
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was chaffingprogressive
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were chaffingprogressive
-
had been chaffingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chaff1
before 1000; Middle English chaf, Old English ceaf; cognate with Middle Low German, Dutch kaf
Origin of chaff2
First recorded in 1640–50; perhaps from chaff 1
Explanation
The proverbial phrase "separate the wheat from the chaff" may not be terribly meaningful to you — unless you happen to be a grain farmer. The chaff is the husk surrounding a seed, the part of the grain that is generally thrown away. In cereal crops like rice, barley, oats, and wheat, the seed — the part of the plant that we eat — is surrounded by a husk. This waste material has been called chaff since the twelfth century at least, but the word has a long history as a metaphor meaning "objects and ideas of little or no value," as well. The Internet is full of misinformation as well as facts so you might have a hard time separating the wheat from the chaff. Their nasty comments are just a lot of chaff — don't even listen to them.
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One drone can release chaff to hide another or create enough confusion for a strike package to get through.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“The larger world, if it doesn’t directly impact the day-to-day,” she told me, “becomes chaff that you kind of block out because you’re so focused on trying to survive this crucible that you’re in.”
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
A short walk away, a threshing machine spews clouds of dust and chaff as wheat pours out in a steady stream, rattling into worn brown sacks at farmers' feet.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
It's more about whether you actually believe in something — and boy, oh boy, has the wheat been separated from the chaff in that respect.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2025
The grain I ground for chapatis had bits of chaff that got between our teeth.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
“One American can relish hugely the entertainment afforded when one quizzical Englishman chaffs his shy, ineloquent countrymen without expecting all other Americans to shake with laughter at the same spectacle,” Woollcott wrote.
From New York Times ● Oct. 9, 2014
He snarls as well as chaffs at a world with the gout.
From Time Magazine Archive
Horace chaffs with Cæsar and Mæcenas, Martial quizzes the world and the reader very much as modern club-men and poets would do.
From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 1862 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various
I only order new clothes when some friend chaffs me into it, and if I do I forget the ties and shirts and those sorts of things.
From The Wicked Marquis by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
Sunday school, Church-going, prayers given up because Jem chaffs so about them.
From Boys their Work and Influence by Anonymous
“A scandal with all the potential ramifications of Watergate, but where everyone involved is stupid and bad at everything,” Oliver chaffed on his weekly late-night satirical show.
From Washington Times ● May 1, 2023
These are a godsend for my inner thighs on long, sweaty summer runs, when they otherwise become a red chaffed mess.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2019
Backstrom chaffed at Presidents' Trophy talk late last season after winning it in 2009 preceded a first-round exit.
From US News ● Oct. 3, 2016
Some of the causes of the anger are legitimate; the gardeners, for example, are chaffed over a lovingly tended community garden that was bulldozed by a developer.
From Time ● Jun. 1, 2016
“He’ll get them, don’t worry,” chaffed Joe, unmoved by the reproach in Jimmy’s eyes.
From The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass The Midnight Call for Assistance by Allen Chapman
It causes less chaffing than other bras I’ve owned, too.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2019
And it works very well to help prevent chaffing, too.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2019
I walked and ran through the heat of my chaffing toes and the cold of my shredded heels.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2018
At one point Mr Fucarile stops the interview - his new prosthetic leg is chaffing, and he is beginning to blister.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2014
Rondon kept his temper under control but made the chaffing remark, “Well, you have had a splendid bath, eh?”
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
