chaff

¹ American  

[chaf, chahf] / tʃæf, tʃɑf /

noun

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

2. straw cut up for fodder.

3. worthless matter; refuse.

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

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

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chaff ² American  

[chaf, chahf] / tʃæf, tʃɑf /

verb (used with or without object)

chaffs, present (3rd person singular) chaffed, past participle, past chaffing present participle

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.

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noun

1. good-natured ridicule or teasing; raillery.

chaff ¹ British  

/ tʃɑːf /

noun

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

2. finely cut straw and hay used to feed cattle

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

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

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

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chaff ² British  

/ tʃɑːf /

noun

1. light-hearted teasing or joking; banter

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verb

1. to tease good-naturedly; banter

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chaffer
  noun
• chaffless
  adjective
• chafflike
  adjective
• chaffy
  adjective
• unchaffed
  adjective
• unchaffing
  adjective
• chaffingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• chaffing
  present
• chaffed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• chaff
  simple
• chaffs
  simple
• have chaffed
  perfect
• has chaffed
  perfect
• am chaffing
  progressive
• are chaffing
  progressive
• is chaffing
  progressive
• have been chaffing
  perfect progressive
• has been chaffing
  perfect progressive

Past

• chaffed
  simple
• had chaffed
  perfect
• was chaffing
  progressive
• were chaffing
  progressive
• had been chaffing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will chaff
  simple
• will have chaffed
  perfect
• will be chaffing
  progressive
• will have been chaffing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of chaff¹

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

Origin of chaff²

First recorded in 1640–50; perhaps from chaff ¹

Explanation

The proverbial phrase "separate the wheat from the chaff" may not be terribly meaningful to you — unless you happen to be a grain farmer. The chaff is the husk surrounding a seed, the part of the grain that is generally thrown away. In cereal crops like rice, barley, oats, and wheat, the seed — the part of the plant that we eat — is surrounded by a husk. This waste material has been called chaff since the twelfth century at least, but the word has a long history as a metaphor meaning "objects and ideas of little or no value," as well. The Internet is full of misinformation as well as facts so you might have a hard time separating the wheat from the chaff. Their nasty comments are just a lot of chaff — don't even listen to them.

Example Sentences

My peers would say we’ve always served that purpose, but sorting wheat from chaff isn’t the same as steering someone toward shows that are not simply satisfying but palliative.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

“The big challenge for investors is to separate the wheat from the chaff and make sure that they don’t punish the true winners,” he said.

From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026

Seven hundred reviewers will attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff, while 1,300 arts industry professionals will scour the city for shows to take on tour, or make into television.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2024

He rubs off the papery chaff with his fingers, parboils them and covers them with seasoned rice vinegar in a jar for 24 hours.

From Seattle Times • May 17, 2024

For days at a time the animals had nothing to eat but chaff and mangels.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell