muff

[muhf]

noun

1. a thick, tubular case for the hands, covered with fur or other material, used by women and girls for warmth and as a handbag.

2. a bungled or clumsy action or performance.

3. Sports.,  a failure to hold onto a ball that may reasonably be expected to be caught successfully.

4. a tuft of feathers on the sides of the head of certain fowls.

5. Slang: Vulgar.,  a woman's pubic area.

6. muff glass

verb (used with object)

1. Informal.,  to bungle; handle clumsily.

   He muffed a good opportunity.

2. Sports.,  to fail to hold onto (a ball that may reasonably be expected to be caught successfully); fumble.

verb (used without object)

1. Informal.,  to bungle; perform clumsily.

muff

¹

/ mʌf /

verb

1. to perform (an action) awkwardly

2. (tr) to bungle (a shot, catch, etc) in a game

noun

1. any unskilful play in a game, esp a dropped catch

2. any clumsy or bungled action

3. a bungler

muff

²

/ mʌf /

noun

1. an open-ended cylinder of fur or cloth into which the hands are placed for warmth

2. the tuft on either side of the head of certain fowls

Other Word Forms

• muffy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of muff¹

1590–1600; < Dutch mof, earlier moffel, muffel mitten, muff < Old North French moufle < early Medieval Latin muffula, perhaps < Frankish

Word History and Origins

Origin of muff¹

C19: of uncertain origin

Origin of muff²

C16: probably from Dutch mof, ultimately from French mouffle muffle ¹

Example Sentences

To that point, his signature moment in October might have been muffing a routine fly ball in the decisive Game 5 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers last fall.

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Grimm muffed two punts against the 49ers, withering turnovers that could not have come at a worse time for him.

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He muffed a punt that set up the Saints in scoring position and later bobbled another before recovering it, prompting rookie Luke Grimm to take over punt return duties in the second half.

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An errant snap or muffed catch can delay placement by one- or two-tenths of a second.

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He also has made a few costly mistakes in the process, such as muffing a punt against Wisconsin and dropping a key third-down pass against Minnesota.

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Related Words

• botch 
• flub 
• fumble 
• mishandle