stuff

noun

(informal) Miscellaneous items or objects; (with possessive) personal effects.

(informal) Unspecified things or matters.

The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object.

Abstract/figurative substance or character.

Paper stock ground ready for use. When partly ground, it is called half stuff.

(informal) Used as placeholder, usually for material of unknown type or name.

(slang) Narcotic drugs, especially heroin.

(sometimes euphemistic) Refuse or worthless matter; hence, also, foolish or irrational language.

(nautical) A melted mass of turpentine, tallow, etc., with which the masts, sides, and bottom of a ship are smeared for lubrication.

(slang, criminal argot, dated) Money.

(obsolete, uncountable) Furniture; goods; domestic vessels or utensils.

(archaic) A material for making clothing; any woven textile, but especially a woollen fabric.

(archaic) Boards used for building.

(obsolete) A medicine or mixture; a potion.

verb

(transitive) To fill by packing or crowding something into; to cram with something; to load to excess.

(transitive) To fill a space with (something) in a compressed manner.

(transitive, cooking) To fill with seasoning.

(transitive) To load goods into (a container) for transport.

(transitive, used in the passive) To sate.

(pronominal) To eat, especially in a hearty or greedy manner.

(transitive, British, Australia, New Zealand) To break; to destroy.

(transitive, vulgar, British, Australia, New Zealand) To sexually penetrate.

(transitive, mildly vulgar, often imperative) Used to contemptuously dismiss or reject something. See also stuff it.

(informal) To heavily defeat or get the better of.

(transitive) To cut off another competitor in a race by disturbing his projected and committed racing line (trajectory) by an abrupt manoeuvre.

To preserve a dead bird or other animal by filling its skin.

(transitive) To obstruct, as any of the organs; to affect with some obstruction in the organs of sense or respiration.

(transitive) To form or fashion by packing with the necessary material.

(transitive, computing) To compress (a file or files) in the StuffIt format, to be unstuffed later.

(transitive, dated) To crowd with facts; to cram the mind of; sometimes, to crowd or fill with false or idle tales or fancies.

Roots

estoffestuff- · Old French · quilted material, provisions, equipment (ultimately from stuppare 'to stop up with tow')

Synonyms for stuff

thingsn materialadj overstuffv poppycockn crapn junkn shitn paraphernalian belongingsn bullshitn rubbishn shovev malarkeyn claptrapn hogwashn

Synonyms & related words for stuff

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of stuff — including things, material, overstuff, poppycock, crap, junk. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to stuff

Explore words related to stuff — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include restuff, hooey, whatnot, items, folderol, somethings, everything, anything. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for stuff

Common synonyms for stuff include things, material, overstuff, poppycock, crap, junk, shit, paraphernalia — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does stuff come from?

The word stuff breaks down into one root of Old French origin: the root stuff, from Old French estoffe (“quilted material, provisions, equipment (ultimately from stuppare 'to stop up with tow')”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.