chaff
1 Americannoun
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the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing.
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straw cut up for fodder.
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worthless matter; refuse.
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the membranous, usually dry, brittle bracts of the flowers of certain plants.
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Also called window. Military. strips of metal foil dropped by an aircraft to confuse enemy radar by creating false blips.
verb (used with or without object)
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chaffs,
present (3rd person singular)
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chaffed,
past participle, past
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chaffing
present participle
noun
noun
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the mass of husks, etc, separated from the seeds during threshing
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finely cut straw and hay used to feed cattle
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something of little worth; rubbish (esp in the phrase separate the wheat from the chaff )
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the dry membranous bracts enclosing the flowers of certain composite plants
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thin strips of metallic foil released into the earth's atmosphere to confuse radar signals and prevent detection
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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chaffernoun
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chafflessadjective
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chafflikeadjective
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chaffyadjective
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unchaffedadjective
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unchaffingadjective
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chaffinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chaffsimple
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chaffssimple
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have chaffedperfect
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has chaffedperfect
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am chaffingprogressive
-
are chaffingprogressive
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is chaffingprogressive
-
have been chaffingperfect progressive
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has been chaffingperfect progressive
Past
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chaffedsimple
-
had chaffedperfect
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was chaffingprogressive
-
were chaffingprogressive
-
had been chaffingperfect progressive
Future
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.
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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:
But for my money, there is too much tedious, mealymouthed chaff obscuring what should be her larger point.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
As a drone countermeasure, the use of chaff isn’t completely new.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
They also reportedly have dispensers for chaff -- metal shavings that distract radar-guided missiles -- and flares that blind heat-seeking missiles.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
It's more about whether you actually believe in something — and boy, oh boy, has the wheat been separated from the chaff in that respect.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2025
The King sprang in among his warriors, scattering them like chaff.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
“One American can relish hugely the entertainment afforded when one quizzical Englishman chaffs his shy, ineloquent countrymen without expecting all other Americans to shake with laughter at the same spectacle,” Woollcott wrote.
From New York Times ● Oct. 9, 2014
He snarls as well as chaffs at a world with the gout.
From Time Magazine Archive
I almost never see him, and when he does remember me he chaffs me as if I were a silly child.
From Together by Robert Herrick
She chaffs him, if you please, and the old man adores her.
From Caesar's Wife A comedy in three acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
He often chaffs me about it, Sam does.
From Novel Notes by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome
“A scandal with all the potential ramifications of Watergate, but where everyone involved is stupid and bad at everything,” Oliver chaffed on his weekly late-night satirical show.
From Washington Times ● May 1, 2023
These are a godsend for my inner thighs on long, sweaty summer runs, when they otherwise become a red chaffed mess.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2019
Backstrom chaffed at Presidents' Trophy talk late last season after winning it in 2009 preceded a first-round exit.
From US News ● Oct. 3, 2016
Some of the causes of the anger are legitimate; the gardeners, for example, are chaffed over a lovingly tended community garden that was bulldozed by a developer.
From Time ● Jun. 1, 2016
As the crew rolled off a small 179 consignment of freight, the captain—a raw-boned, red-faced, and thoroughly good-humored man—leaned out of the pilot-house window and pleasantly chaffed us about our lowly conveyance.
From Historic Waterways?Six Hundred Miles of Canoeing Down the Rock, Fox, and Wisconsin Rivers by Reuben Gold Thwaites
It causes less chaffing than other bras I’ve owned, too.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2019
And it works very well to help prevent chaffing, too.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2019
I walked and ran through the heat of my chaffing toes and the cold of my shredded heels.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2018
At one point Mr Fucarile stops the interview - his new prosthetic leg is chaffing, and he is beginning to blister.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2014
Rondon kept his temper under control but made the chaffing remark, “Well, you have had a splendid bath, eh?”
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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