cuff

¹ American  

[kuhf] / kʌf /

noun

1. a fold or band serving as a trimming or finish for the bottom of a sleeve.

2. a turned-up fold, as at the bottom of a trouser leg.

3. the part of a gauntlet or long glove that extends over the wrist.

4. a separate or detachable band or piece of fabric worn about the wrist, inside or outside of the sleeve.

5. an elasticized, ribbed, or reinforced band at the top of a sock or stocking.

6. a band of leather or other material, wider than a collar, sewed around the outside of the top of a shoe or boot to serve as a trimming or finish.

7. a handcuff.

   I accessorized my costume with cuffs, a badge, and a toy gun.

8. Anatomy. rotator cuff.

9. Furniture. a horizontal strip of veneer used as an ornament on a leg.

10. Medicine/Medical. an inflatable wrap placed around the upper arm and used in conjunction with a device for recording blood pressure.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a cuff or cuffs on.

   to cuff a pair of trousers.

2. to put handcuffs on.

   The officer was quick to cuff the suspect and read him his rights.

3. Slang. to start an exclusive relationship with.

   You’ve gotta cuff her if you want to keep her.

idioms

1. on the cuff,

   1. with the promise of future payment; on credit.

   2. without charge; with no payment expected.

      He enjoyed his meal the more because it was on the cuff.

2. off the cuff,

   1. extemporaneously; on the spur of the moment.

      She made those comments off the cuff, and they came back to haunt her later.

   2. unofficially or informally.

      I'm telling you this strictly off the cuff.

cuff ² American  

[kuhf] / kʌf /

verb (used with object)

1. to strike with the open hand; beat; buffet.

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noun

1. a blow with the fist or the open hand; buffet.

cuff ¹ British  

/ kʌf /

noun

1. the part of a sleeve nearest the hand, sometimes turned back and decorative

2. the part of a gauntlet or glove that extends past the wrist

3. Also called (in eg Britain): turn-up.  the turned-up fold at the bottom of some trouser legs

4. informal improvised; extemporary

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cuff ² British  

/ kʌf /

verb

1. (tr) to strike with an open hand

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noun

1. a blow of this kind

cuff More Idioms  

1. see off the cuff; on the cuff.

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Usage

What else does cuff mean? Cuff can refer to the ends of sleeves or rolled pants, handcuffs, or, in the world of modern love, the act of going steady with someone over the winter months.

Etymology

Origin of cuff¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cuffe “mitten”; perhaps akin to Old English cuffie “cap,” from Medieval Latin cuphia; coif ²

Origin of cuff²

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain; perhaps from a Scandinavian language; compare Norwegian, Swedish dialect kuffa “to push, shove”; also German cant kuffen “to thrash”

Explanation

A cuff is the very end of a long sleeve or the rolled bottom of your jeans. You might prefer to wear a cuff on the bottom of your pants in order to show off your striped socks. One kind of cuff is at the end of your sleeve or trouser leg, and another is a type of jewelry you might wear around your wrist, like a wide gold cuff. You can also use the word cuff as shorthand for handcuff, the silver kind that police officers put on suspects' wrists during an arrest. The mid-fourteenth century version was cuffe, and it meant "mitten or glove," from the Medieval Latin cuffia, or "head covering.

Example Sentences

After high school, I signed a minor-league contract but tore my rotator cuff.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt suddenly announced it at the 1943 Casablanca conference as an aim of the World War II Allies, he did so off the cuff.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026

“I teach pretty off the cuff, and my lectures are critical, so I’m also very tuned in to making sure I’m not getting recorded.”

From Slate • Feb. 12, 2026

They have great Gucci and Dior options, plus military releases from the ‘40s and ‘50s and cuff links.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

She was wearing her black pants and a white shirt with a faded soy-sauce stain on the cuff, and from this Mia knew she was headed in to work.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Related Words

• belt
• sock