fluff
Americannoun
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fluffs
plural
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light, downy particles, as of cotton.
-
a soft, light, downy mass.
a fluff of summer clouds.
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something of no consequence.
The book is pure fluff, but fun to read.
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an error or blunder, especially an actor's memory lapse in the delivery of lines.
verb (used with object)
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fluffs,
present (3rd person singular)
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fluffed,
past participle, past
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fluffing
present participle
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to make into fluff; shake or puff out (feathers, hair, etc.) into a fluffy mass (often followed byup ).
to fluff up the sofa pillows.
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to make a mistake in.
The leading man fluffed his lines.
verb (used without object)
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fluffs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fluffed,
past participle, past
-
fluffing
present participle
-
to become fluffy; move, float, or settle down like fluff.
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to make a mistake, especially in the delivery of lines by a performer; blunder.
noun
-
soft light particles, such as the down or nap of cotton or wool
-
any light downy substance
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an object, matter, etc, of little importance; trifle
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informal a mistake, esp in speaking or reading lines or performing music
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informal a young woman (esp in the phrase a bit of fluff )
verb
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to make or become soft and puffy by shaking or patting; puff up
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informal to make a mistake in performing (an action, dramatic speech, music, etc)
Usage
What does fluff mean? Fluff is a light, soft mass, such as cotton or a cloud, as in After I shaved my head, the hair that grew back was soft, like fluff. To fluff something means to shake or puff out something, as with pillows. When you fluff your hair, you might shake it out a bit so that it puffs up and looks fluffy. Fluff can also describe something that is of little importance, such as a novel that someone deems fun but not at all serious. Fluff is also a mistake, especially a situation in which an actor forgets their lines. To fluff is to make such a mistake, as in Valerie fluffed her lines during the first scene, but she quickly recovered. Example: When Grace and I were stuffing the pillows we had made, we had fluff flying all over the living room.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fluffsimple
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fluffssimple
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have fluffedperfect
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has fluffedperfect
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am fluffingprogressive
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are fluffingprogressive
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is fluffingprogressive
-
have been fluffingperfect progressive
-
has been fluffingperfect progressive
Past
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fluffedsimple
-
had fluffedperfect
-
was fluffingprogressive
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were fluffingprogressive
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had been fluffingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fluff
Explanation
Fluff is a soft, light puffy or feathery material. Your pet angora rabbit is covered in fluff, and when you blow the down off a dandelion, you can call that fluff too. A department store window designer might use white cotton fluff as snow in his holiday display, and a bored dog might pull the fluff out of every pillow in the house while you're at work. The word fluff is also a verb meaning "to shake or ruffle until something looks fuller." It's also a great way to describe something meaningless or frivolous: "I had high hopes for the newspaper article, but it was just fluff."
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:
Medicine and science were serious; communication was fluff.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
While there’s nothing wrong, per se, with ExpressVPN’s extra bundled goodies, they come down to fluff.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026
But Florrie is not just a fun ball of fluff, she has got a job to do: helping young people navigate an increasingly complex world.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
Shadow went and out came back later with some fluff — soft material like pine needles, moss or grass — to warm and cushion the egg.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
I touch the purple fluff on my head.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
Yeh categorizes sweet salads with affection and a wink: cookie salads, Jell-O salads, candy bar salads, fluffs.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2025
At this point she fluffs her lines, double faulting tamely to hand Pliskova a vital break.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 20, 2020
Which is kind of the problem, because as every SoCal resident knows, palm trees shed, and we’re not talking gentle fluffs of fur.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2018
I’m reminded of nature’s delightful courtship rituals, like that of the bird of paradise, who clears a little spot of forest floor, fluffs his bright-colored feathers and busts a jaunty little move for the ladies.
From New York Times ● Sep. 4, 2018
It fluffs like a meringue high upon her head.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
Carolina have also fluffed their lines though when given the chance, so one team will stumble over the line - and not much will be expected of either in the play-offs.
From BBC ● Dec. 30, 2025
The Angolan defender fluffed an attempted clearance of a corner and Mohamed Hashem prodded the ball into the net past Chiefs captain and goalkeeper Brandon Petersen.
From Barron's ● Nov. 23, 2025
Short answer: Syrupy oil fluffed into a semi-solid.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2025
“If it doesn’t get fluffed enough, the material starts to compact and it starts to break down, what’s called anaerobically, which is without oxygen,” said the spa’s general manager, Heather Bishop.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2025
At home, she took them apart at the seams, washed their pelts, fluffed their filling, repolished their eyes.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
So, I’m fluffing pillows and I’m making the bed, doing all these things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
But after missing several big chances at Newcastle, Haaland drew a blank again, fluffing his lines with a poor touch that allowed Flekken to save when he should have hit the target.
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
Additionally, adding a clean tennis ball or dryer balls can aid in the fluffing process by gently agitating the pillows.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
Chelsea fully deserved their win, although they squandered several big opportunities before Raheem Sterling made the breakthrough after 43 minutes, firing past Dortmund keeper Alexander Meyer after initially fluffing his shot.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2023
He pulled the cotton apart, and Twig and I joined him, fluffing white clouds for Cotton Ball Heaven.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
