cuff

[ kuhf ]

/ kʌf /

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See synonyms for: cuff / cuffed / cuffs on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Anatomy. rotator cuff.

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

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

verb (used with object)

to make a cuff or cuffs on: to cuff a pair of trousers.

to put handcuffs on: The officer was quick to cuff the suspect and read him his rights.

Slang. to start an exclusive relationship with: You’ve gotta cuff her if you want to keep her.

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Idioms about cuff

off the cuff, Informal.

extemporaneously; on the spur of the moment: She made those comments off the cuff, and they came back to haunt her later.
unofficially or informally: I'm telling you this strictly off the cuff.

on the cuff, Slang.

with the promise of future payment; on credit.
without charge; with no payment expected: He enjoyed his meal the more because it was on the cuff.

Origin of cuff

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cuffe “mitten”; perhaps akin to Old English cuffie “cap,” from Medieval Latin cuphia; see origin at coif²

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cuff

cough, cuff , koph

Other definitions for cuff (2 of 2)

cuff²

[ kuhf ]

/ kʌf /

verb (used with object)

to strike with the open hand; beat; buffet.

noun

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

Origin of cuff

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”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cuff in a sentence

Some brands simply hang a thin fleece liner inside a shell, connected only by the stitching at the waist and cuffs.
The Best Fleece-Lined Pants for the Outdoors|Wes Siler|January 15, 2021|Outside Online
Your feel a faint twinge as your own cuff, synched with hers, releases neurochemicals into the artery at your wrist, and a momentary wave of Fatima’s anxiety and exhaustion passes through you.
Dark spaces on the map|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
They say very little, mostly shooting each other bursts of emotion from their cuffs, which you can then see play across their faces.
Dark spaces on the map|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
You sit in an armchair, pretending to play with your comm cuff while actually you are watching Fatima and her girlfriend talking outside the sliding glass doors to the home.
Dark spaces on the map|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Now some companies are providing blood pressure cuffs equipped with remote monitoring technology so that women can get checked from home instead.
Pregnant in the pandemic? It helps to have good Wi-Fi.|Cat Ferguson|December 14, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Ferrari said the man was tackled shortly after he hit the ground and quickly cuffed and taken away.
Occupy Climate Change! Hundreds Blame Capitalism at Flood Wall Street Rally|Jacob Siegel|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the back of their patrol car, with her hands cuffed behind her, she mocks their cowardice.
A Brief History of the Phrase 'F*ck the Police'|Rich Goldstein|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Heard about the 6-year-old girl who was cuffed and arrested?
It's Not Just Teens Like Michael Brown—Even Small Black Children Are Suspect|Sally Kohn|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brady was among them, the skilled hands that had put in place the last piece of the Freedom Tower now cuffed behind him.
Hero or Criminal? James Brady, the WTC Ironworker Who Jumped Off the Building|Michael Daly|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As soon as Cohle and Hart captured and cuffed their killer back in 1995, he started to talk.
‘True Detective’ Episode 5 Review: ‘The Secret Fate of All Life’ is the Best Episode Yet|Andrew Romano|February 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a scuffle, and Black Sheep was torn off the body by Harry and some colleagues, and cuffed home tingling but exultant.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
Her great arms vent veeling about like a vinmill, as she cuffed and thumped poor Mary for taking her pa's part.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush|William Makepeace Thackeray
You cuffed him last Sunday for ringing the bell at the Agnus Dei.
My New Curate|P.A. Sheehan
Their wings cuffed the marauder's head in a fashion that confused him.
The Watchers of the Trails|Charles G. D. Roberts
Riggs took two long strides and bent over her, his teeth protruding in a snarl, and he cuffed her hard on the side of the head.
The Man of the Forest|Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for cuff (1 of 2)

cuff¹

/ (kʌf) /

noun

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

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

US, Canadian and Australian the turned-up fold at the bottom of some trouser legsAlso called (in eg Britain): turn-up

off the cuff informal improvised; extemporary

Word Origin for cuff

C14 cuffe glove, of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for cuff (2 of 2)

cuff²

/ (kʌf) /

verb

(tr) to strike with an open hand

noun

a blow of this kind

Word Origin for cuff

C16: of obscure origin

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with cuff

cuff

see off the cuff; on the cuff.

cuff

Idioms about cuff

Origin of cuff

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cuff

Other definitions for cuff (2 of 2)

Origin of cuff

Words related to cuff

How to use cuff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cuff (1 of 2)

Word Origin for cuff

British Dictionary definitions for cuff (2 of 2)

Word Origin for cuff

Other Idioms and Phrases with cuff