fluff
Americannoun
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fluffs
plural
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light, downy particles, as of cotton.
-
a soft, light, downy mass.
a fluff of summer clouds.
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something of no consequence.
The book is pure fluff, but fun to read.
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an error or blunder, especially an actor's memory lapse in the delivery of lines.
verb (used with object)
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fluffs,
present (3rd person singular)
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fluffed,
past participle, past
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fluffing
present participle
-
to make into fluff; shake or puff out (feathers, hair, etc.) into a fluffy mass (often followed byup ).
to fluff up the sofa pillows.
-
to make a mistake in.
The leading man fluffed his lines.
verb (used without object)
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fluffs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fluffed,
past participle, past
-
fluffing
present participle
-
to become fluffy; move, float, or settle down like fluff.
-
to make a mistake, especially in the delivery of lines by a performer; blunder.
noun
-
soft light particles, such as the down or nap of cotton or wool
-
any light downy substance
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an object, matter, etc, of little importance; trifle
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informal a mistake, esp in speaking or reading lines or performing music
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informal a young woman (esp in the phrase a bit of fluff )
verb
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to make or become soft and puffy by shaking or patting; puff up
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informal to make a mistake in performing (an action, dramatic speech, music, etc)
Usage
What does fluff mean? Fluff is a light, soft mass, such as cotton or a cloud, as in After I shaved my head, the hair that grew back was soft, like fluff. To fluff something means to shake or puff out something, as with pillows. When you fluff your hair, you might shake it out a bit so that it puffs up and looks fluffy. Fluff can also describe something that is of little importance, such as a novel that someone deems fun but not at all serious. Fluff is also a mistake, especially a situation in which an actor forgets their lines. To fluff is to make such a mistake, as in Valerie fluffed her lines during the first scene, but she quickly recovered. Example: When Grace and I were stuffing the pillows we had made, we had fluff flying all over the living room.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fluffsimple
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fluffssimple
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have fluffedperfect
-
has fluffedperfect
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am fluffingprogressive
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are fluffingprogressive
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is fluffingprogressive
-
have been fluffingperfect progressive
-
has been fluffingperfect progressive
Past
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fluffedsimple
-
had fluffedperfect
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was fluffingprogressive
-
were fluffingprogressive
-
had been fluffingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fluff
Explanation
Fluff is a soft, light puffy or feathery material. Your pet angora rabbit is covered in fluff, and when you blow the down off a dandelion, you can call that fluff too. A department store window designer might use white cotton fluff as snow in his holiday display, and a bored dog might pull the fluff out of every pillow in the house while you're at work. The word fluff is also a verb meaning "to shake or ruffle until something looks fuller." It's also a great way to describe something meaningless or frivolous: "I had high hopes for the newspaper article, but it was just fluff."
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:
There was plenty of fluff but little hard agreement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
It might seem like fluff if you’re not paying attention, but it’s worth looking a little harder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Medicine and science were serious; communication was fluff.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
But both he and Balda know how much medicine the audience can handle in their fluff before the bitterness overwhelms the sweet.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
People still only see purple fluff, not me.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
Yeh categorizes sweet salads with affection and a wink: cookie salads, Jell-O salads, candy bar salads, fluffs.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2025
Rafa Mir - the man who replaced Rakitic - should score from six yards but fluffs his header.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 14, 2021
His white hair fluffs out above his tanned face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2019
I’m reminded of nature’s delightful courtship rituals, like that of the bird of paradise, who clears a little spot of forest floor, fluffs his bright-colored feathers and busts a jaunty little move for the ladies.
From New York Times ● Sep. 4, 2018
She fluffs my hair back up after the wig cap had its way with me.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
James, who had fluffed his first run, was next to go and punched the air with his trademark red gloves but his score of 93.50 was only enough to lift him into the silver position.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
In 1992, Gary Lineker had the chance to match Sir Bobby Charlton's 49 goals for England in a friendly against Brazil but fluffed his attempted Panenka and ended up one shy of the then-record.
From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2026
Short answer: Syrupy oil fluffed into a semi-solid.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2025
Verreynne fluffed a ramp - UltraEdge showing he had in fact got some bat on it - before he delivered the winning moment in a more orthodox fashion on the drive.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025
Frightful, who was drawn up as skinny as a stick, relaxed and fluffed her feathers, and then I said to her, “See, he got his treats. No tricks.”
From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
“It looked like a UPS truck in here. I mean, look at me,” she adds, fluffing the ruffles of her Accidente Con Flores dress, her intricately manicured fingers decorated with colorful Zuni Toons rings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Heading into the free skate section in the lead, Malinin capitulated, fluffing his signature quad axel jump and falling twice to the ice to plummet to eighth spot overall.
From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026
It is easy to categorise this result as Unai Emery's side fluffing their moment in the spotlight and blowing their title dreams.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2023
Additionally, adding a clean tennis ball or dryer balls can aid in the fluffing process by gently agitating the pillows.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
"I'm gonna tell you a story," Maddy said, fluffing her pillow.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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