chaff

1
[ chaf, chahf ]
See synonyms for: chaffchaffedchaffing on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing.

  2. straw cut up for fodder.

  1. worthless matter; refuse.

  2. the membranous, usually dry, brittle bracts of the flowers of certain plants.

  3. Also called window. Military. strips of metal foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar by creating false blips.

Origin of chaff

1
before 1000; Middle English chaf,Old English ceaf; cognate with Middle Low German, Dutch kaf

Other words from chaff

  • chaffless, adjective
  • chafflike, adjective

Words Nearby chaff

Other definitions for chaff (2 of 2)

chaff2
[ chaf, chahf ]

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to mock, tease, or jest in a good-natured way; banter: She chaffed him for working late. They joked and chaffed with each other.

noun
  1. good-natured ridicule or teasing; raillery.

Origin of chaff

2
First recorded in 1640–50; perhaps from chaff1

Other words from chaff

  • chaff·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·chaffed, adjective
  • un·chaff·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chaff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chaff (1 of 2)

chaff1

/ (tʃɑːf) /


noun
  1. the mass of husks, etc, separated from the seeds during threshing

  2. finely cut straw and hay used to feed cattle

  1. something of little worth; rubbish (esp in the phrase separate the wheat from the chaff)

  2. the dry membranous bracts enclosing the flowers of certain composite plants

  3. thin strips of metallic foil released into the earth's atmosphere to confuse radar signals and prevent detection

Origin of chaff

1
Old English ceaf; related to Old High German keva husk

Derived forms of chaff

  • chaffy, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for chaff (2 of 2)

chaff2

/ (tʃɑːf) /


noun
  1. light-hearted teasing or joking; banter

verb
  1. to tease good-naturedly; banter

Origin of chaff

2
C19: probably slang variant of chafe, perhaps influenced by chaff 1

Derived forms of chaff

  • chaffer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012