chuff

1
[ chuhf ]
See synonyms for: chuffchuffedchuffing on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a rustic.

  2. a boor; churl.

  1. a miserly fellow.

Origin of chuff

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English chuffe, choffe, chutte, of obscure origin

Words Nearby chuff

Other definitions for chuff (2 of 3)

chuff2
[ chuhf, choof ]

adjectiveBritish Dialect.
  1. chubby; fat.

  2. swollen with pride; proud; elated.

Origin of chuff

2
First recorded in 1600–10; compare earlier chuff “puffed cheek”

Other definitions for chuff (3 of 3)

chuff3
[ chuhf ]

noun
  1. a sound of or like the exhaust of a steam engine.

verb (used without object)
  1. to emit or proceed with chuffs; puff: The train chuffed along.

Origin of chuff

3
First recorded in 1910–15; imitative

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

How to use chuff in a sentence

  • I cannot see why she should be rude and chuff and disagreeable.

    A Very Naughty Girl | L. T. Meade
  • So the first day that the old chuff was away from home, he dressed himself like a wayfaring man, and knocked at the door.

    Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales | David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
  • If it happen that a crusty chuff prevents them, the threatening finale is too often fulfilled.

    Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales | David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
  • Mrs. chuff's great gold watch, fastened to her stomach, gleamed there like a ball of fire.

    The Book of Snobs | William Makepeace Thackeray
  • Mrs. chuff covered the drawing-rooms with prodigious tapestries, the work of her hands.

    The Book of Snobs | William Makepeace Thackeray

British Dictionary definitions for chuff (1 of 3)

chuff1

/ (tʃʌf) /


noun
  1. a puffing sound of or as if of a steam engine

verb
  1. (intr) to move while emitting such sounds: the train chuffed on its way

Origin of chuff

1
C20: of imitative origin

British Dictionary definitions for chuff (2 of 3)

chuff2

/ (tʃʌf) /


noun
  1. dialect a boor; churl; sullen fellow

Origin of chuff

2
C17: from obsolete chuff (n) fat cheek, of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for chuff (3 of 3)

chuff3

/ (tʃʌf) /


verb
  1. (tr; usually passive) British slang to please or delight: he was chuffed by his pay rise

Origin of chuff

3
probably from chuff (adj) pleased, happy (earlier: chubby), from C16 chuff (obsolete n) a fat cheek, of unknown origin

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