fluff

[fluhf]

See more synonyms for fluff on Thesaurus.com

noun

light, downy particles, as of cotton.
a soft, light, downy mass: a fluff of summer clouds.
something of no consequence: The book is pure fluff, but fun to read.

an error or blunder, especially an actor's memory lapse in the delivery of lines.

verb (used with object)

to make into fluff; shake or puff out (feathers, hair, etc.) into a fluffy mass (often followed by up): to fluff up the sofa pillows.
to make a mistake in: The leading man fluffed his lines.

verb (used without object)

to become fluffy; move, float, or settle down like fluff.
to make a mistake, especially in the delivery of lines by a performer; blunder.

Origin of fluff

1780–90; perhaps blend of flue² and puff

Related formsfluff·er, nounun·fluffed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for fluffing

stumble, excoriate, chastise, denounce, chide, blame, censure, castigate, reprimand, blast, condemn, reel, flounder, hesitate, waver, wobble, flub, mishandle, botch, goof

Examples from the Web for fluffing

Contemporary Examples of fluffing

For one split second, she seemed to be fluffing up her hair, a vulnerable gesture.
Chile's Etiquette of Love
Tracy Quan
October 16, 2010

Historical Examples of fluffing

A thin skein of vapor trailed from its trail, fluffing into nothingness.
First on the Moon
Jeff Sutton
Why should people waste time in fluffing and crimping their hair.
The Girls of St. Wode's
L. T. Meade
I don't go twittering and fluffing about in oaks and chestnuts, perching on the birds' nest steps and getting in their way.
Mince PieAuthor: Christopher Darlington MorleyRelease Date: October 10, 2004 [eBook #13694]
Christopher Darlington Morley
And he hoped Sam hadn't gotten too blistered by his mentors when he returned home after fluffing the inquiry he was sent out on.
The Great Gray Plague
Raymond F. Jones
The profits thus accruing are called fluffings, and the practice is known as fluffing.
The Slang Dictionary
John Camden Hotten

British Dictionary definitions for fluffing

fluff

noun

soft light particles, such as the down or nap of cotton or wool
any light downy substance
an object, matter, etc, of little importance; trifle
informal a mistake, esp in speaking or reading lines or performing music
informal a young woman (esp in the phrase a bit of fluff)

verb

to make or become soft and puffy by shaking or patting; puff up
informal to make a mistake in performing (an action, dramatic speech, music, etc)

Word Origin for fluff

C18: perhaps from flue ²

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

Word Origin and History for fluffing

fluff

"to shake into a soft mass," 1875, from fluff (n.). Meaning "make a mistake" is from 1884, originally in theater slang. Related: Fluffed; fluffing.

fluff

"light, feathery stuff," 1790, apparently a variant of floow "wooly substance, down, nap" (1580s), perhaps from Flemish vluwe, from French velu "shaggy, hairy," from Latin vellus "fleece," or Latin villus "tuft of hair" (see velvet). OED suggests fluff as "an imitative modification" of floow, "imitating the action of puffing away some light substance." Slang bit of fluff "young woman" is from 1903. The marshmallow confection Fluff dates to c.1920 in Massachusetts, U.S.