buff
1a soft, thick, light-yellow leather with a napped surface, originally made from buffalo skin but later also from other skins, used for making belts, pouches, etc.
a brownish-yellow color; tan.
a buff stick or buff wheel.
a devotee or well-informed student of some activity or subject: Civil War buffs avidly read the new biography of Grant.
Informal. the bare skin, or the state of being nude: swimming in the buff;stripped to his buff.
Also called buffcoat . a thick, short coat of buffalo leather, worn especially by English soldiers and American colonists in the 17th century.
Informal. a buffalo.
having the color of buff.
made of buff leather.
Slang. physically attractive; muscular.
to clean or polish (metal) or give a grainless finish of high luster to (plated surfaces) with or as if with a buff stick or buff wheel.
to polish or shine, especially with a buffer: to buff shoes.
to dye or stain in a buff color.
Origin of buff
1Other words for buff
Other words from buff
- buff·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- buff·a·ble, adjective
Words Nearby buff
Other definitions for buff (2 of 2)
(in a video game) to enhance (player characters' attributes or abilities) with a spell, skill, or item: If you buff your party with a skill that increases movement speed, make sure everyone is in the area of effect—you wouldn’t want to leave your healer in the dust!
to reduce or deaden the force of; act as a buffer.
(in a video game) a category of spell, skill, or item that enhances player characters' attributes or abilities: Your build is specific to your job class, so a DPS Shaman and a DPS Druid might bring different buffs.
Chiefly British Dialect. a blow; slap.
Origin of buff
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use buff in a sentence
Movie buffs may feel like Raya has taken 80 percent of its beats from other animated stories, from The Lion King to The Dark Crystal.
Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is a sumptuous fantasy — but it makes a mess of Southeast Asian culture | Aja Romano | March 5, 2021 | VoxMilitary history buffs won’t have to settle for reenactors either.
Five sensational vacation destinations from the virtual worlds of video games | Shelly Tan, Elise Favis, Gene Park, Armand Emamdjomeh | February 25, 2021 | Washington PostBeyer, the only certified mechanic in Congress and a science-fiction buff, will be tasked with enacting the annual legislation that lays out NASA priorities.
The new chair of the House space committee isn’t sure about Moon 2024 | Tim Fernholz | February 25, 2021 | QuartzThis well-reviewed trek through Hollywood history features vintage stars that time forgot, and prominent performers of yesteryear that even the most ardent movie buffs might have never heard of.
The best gifts for travelers you care about | PopSci Commerce Team | February 24, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe digital version can be downloaded on any device, and if you really want to splurge on your traveling movie buff, throw in a Kindle reader to make bingeing it even easier.
The best gifts for travelers you care about | PopSci Commerce Team | February 24, 2021 | Popular-Science
Then Ziegler tosses the buff LaBeouf around like a rag doll.
Sia and Shia LaBeouf’s Pedophilia Nontroversy Over ‘Elastic Heart’ | Marlow Stern | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHave you always been a history buff, or a military history buff?
The lacquer cures for 72 hours, and then is sanded by hand to buff out any imperfections.
Luckily I have a friend who is both an opera buff and pothead.
Before William entered the pool, Charles joked, "I know my eldest will now demonstrate his buff credentials".
Then throw away the bees and lay the stings gently but firmly on a mash composed of the breasts of five buff Orpington cockerels.
They were a warm, golden cream and a very delicate buff, which made the rooms seem lighter.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard EatonThe boy was clad in a grey suit of the finest cloth, laid down with silver lace, with a buff-coloured cloak of the same pattern.
The Fortunes of Nigel | Sir Walter Scott"It's lucky in another way," he added, staring darkly at the buff-coloured wall that separated them from Number 13.
Left Tackle Thayer | Ralph Henry BarbourGills: Equal, brittle, broad; yellow-buff color in all stages.
Our Edible Toadstools and Mushrooms and How to Distinguish Them | William Hamilton Gibson
British Dictionary definitions for buff (1 of 3)
/ (bʌf) /
a soft thick flexible undyed leather made chiefly from the skins of buffalo, oxen, and elk
(as modifier): a buff coat
a dull yellow or yellowish-brown colour
(as adjective): buff paint
Also called: buffer
a cloth or pad of material used for polishing an object
a flexible disc or wheel impregnated with a fine abrasive for polishing metals, etc, with a power tool
informal one's bare skin (esp in the phrase in the buff)
to clean or polish (a metal, floor, shoes, etc) with a buff
to remove the grain surface of (a leather)
Origin of buff
1British Dictionary definitions for buff (2 of 3)
/ (bʌf) /
(tr) to deaden the force of
archaic a blow or buffet (now only in the phrase blind man's buff)
Origin of buff
2British Dictionary definitions for buff (3 of 3)
/ (bʌf) /
informal an expert on or devotee of a given subject: a cheese buff
Origin of buff
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with buff
see in the buff.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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