buff

[ buhf ]

/ bʌf /

See synonyms for: buff / buffer on Thesaurus.com

noun

a soft, thick, light-yellow leather with a napped surface, originally made from buffalo skin but later also from other skins, used for making belts, pouches, etc.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.

adjective

having the color of buff.

made of buff leather.

Slang. physically attractive; muscular.

verb (used with object)

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.

SYNONYMS FOR buff

11 burnish.

See synonyms for buff on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of buff

First recorded in 1545–55; 1900–05 for def. 4; earlier buffe “wild ox,” back formation from buffle, from Middle French, from Late Latin būfalus; see buffalo; (def. 4) originally a person enthusiastic about firefighting and firefighters, allegedly after the buff-colored uniforms once worn by volunteer firefighters in New York City

OTHER WORDS FROM buff

buff·a·bil·i·ty, nounbuff·a·ble, adjective

Definition for buff (2 of 2)

buff²

[ buhf ]

/ bʌf /

verb (used with object)

to reduce or deaden the force of; act as a buffer.

noun

Chiefly British Dialect. a blow; slap.

Origin of buff

1375–1425; late Middle English buffe, back formation from buffet¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for buff

So history buffs might know this spot as kind of a birthplace of housing rights.
Podcast: Facial recognition is quietly being used to control access to housing and social services|Tate Ryan-Mosley|December 2, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Mechanically, the buildings you construct have uses beyond the settlement, giving you buffs for battle or multiplayer benefits like creating your own viking lieutenant to share with friends.
‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ impressions: Rekindling the spirit of the series|Elise Favis|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
He had all that comedy cred from his years on Parks and Rec, but then he transformed himself into a buff action star!
How Chris Pratt became the internet’s least favorite Chris|Constance Grady|October 22, 2020|Vox
Stories in the Washington Post and CNN stated that buffs may actually transmit more droplets than wearing no mask at all.
Don’t give up on your buff just yet|Katherine Ellen Foley|August 12, 2020|Quartz

Inside, patrons can sip on bespoke whisky and coffee while getting that buffed and polished look.
The Most Exciting New Hotels, Restaurants, and Submarines of 2014|Charlie Gilbert|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The buffed and handsome pair could be seen on early-morning runs around the walled compound.
Early Signs of General Petraeus’s Extramarital Affair|John Barry|November 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Koon: Buffed out is jargon that I have come to associate with very muscular.
L.A. Riots Anniversary: Stacey Koon’s Disturbing Testimony|Christine Pelisek|April 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Would you please describe to the jury what buffed out means to you.
L.A. Riots Anniversary: Stacey Koon’s Disturbing Testimony|Christine Pelisek|April 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Mounger: With regard to your state of mind, what were you thinking when you saw this buffed out person?
L.A. Riots Anniversary: Stacey Koon’s Disturbing Testimony|Christine Pelisek|April 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He was all his grandfather was, only sandpapered, buffed and polished by civilization.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 7|Elbert Hubbard
So he rubbed wax until his elbows ached, massaged the wax into the wood, buffed it with shop rags so that the house shone.
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town|Cory Doctorow
It had been washed and buffed and polished until it looked as new as the day I picked it out on the salesroom floor.
Highways in Hiding|George Oliver Smith
I buffed for a while, and then I put the fishbowl on my head and looked through it.
The Risk Profession|Donald Edwin Westlake

British Dictionary definitions for buff (1 of 3)

buff¹

/ (bʌf) /

noun

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)

verb

to clean or polish (a metal, floor, shoes, etc) with a buff

to remove the grain surface of (a leather)

Word Origin for buff

C16: from Old French buffle, from Old Italian bufalo, from Late Latin būfalus buffalo

British Dictionary definitions for buff (2 of 3)

buff²

/ (bʌf) /

verb

(tr) to deaden the force of

noun

archaic a blow or buffet (now only in the phrase blind man's buff)

Word Origin for buff

C15: back formation from buffet ²

British Dictionary definitions for buff (3 of 3)

buff³

/ (bʌf) /

noun

informal an expert on or devotee of a given subjecta cheese buff

Word Origin for buff

C20: originally US: an enthusiastic fire watcher, from the buff-coloured uniforms worn by volunteer firemen in New York City

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

Idioms and Phrases with buff

buff

see in the buff.

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buff

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

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Origin of buff

OTHER WORDS FROM buff

Definition for buff (2 of 2)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of buff

Example sentences from the Web for buff

British Dictionary definitions for buff (1 of 3)

noun

verb

Word Origin for buff

British Dictionary definitions for buff (2 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for buff

British Dictionary definitions for buff (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for buff

Idioms and Phrases with buff

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

buff

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

SYNONYMS FOR buff

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of buff

OTHER WORDS FROM buff

Definition for buff (2 of 2)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of buff

Words related to buff

Example sentences from the Web for buff

British Dictionary definitions for buff (1 of 3)

noun

verb

Word Origin for buff

British Dictionary definitions for buff (2 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for buff

British Dictionary definitions for buff (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for buff

Idioms and Phrases with buff