smurf
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smurf
- /smɜːf/
- /smɝf/
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)f
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Dutch smurf (via the Belgian comic De Smurfen, a translation of French Les Schtroumpfs), from French schtroumpf, a word that was created by Peyo based on German Strumpf (literally “stocking, sock”) while he was having dinner, either simply because it sounds funny to the French ear or based on a regional German use for “idiot”. Armand van Raalte was an employee for the Belgian publisher of Peyo's stories who felt that schtroumpf would not have the same effect in Dutch, so he tried to find a simple word that could be used both as a noun and a verb. The result was smurf. In other languages, the term was similarly altered; compare the translations below.
noun smurfs · smurves
- A blue pixie with a white stocking cap, from the media franchise The Smurfs. He occasionally used the proper noun of the restaurant as an adverb, the way a Smurf would.
- A smurf account or its user.
- A smurf attack.
- One member of a team, each of whom acquires a small amount of money or ingredients for manufacturing drugs, keeping the transactions too small in order to not raise suspicion. Each smurf goes to different banks and purchases cashier's checks in denominations of less than $ 10,000, thus bypassing the reporting requirement.
verb smurfs · smurfing · smurfed
- Used to replace any other verb, as is typical of smurfs.
- To split a large financial transaction into smaller ones so as to avoid scrutiny; to carry out structuring.
- To carry out a smurf attack against someone.
- To use a smurf account.
- To perform exceptionally well, as if using a smurf account, playing much inferior opponents. He has been absolutely smurfing this season.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pixie, pixy, smurfette principle, sprite, pixey, piskie, picksy, dwarfette, pixie dust, pisky, pigsie, little person, smock-face, smallfolk, schmoop, sylphid
Translations
Every language
noun fictional character
| Español | pitufo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 스머프 seumeopeu |
| 日本語 | スマーフ sumāfu, シュトロンフ shutoronfu |
| 中文 | 藍精靈 /蓝精灵 lán jīnglíng |
| Português | estrumpfe, estrunfe, smurf |
| Français | schtroumpf |
| Deutsch | Schlumpf |
| Italiano | puffo |
| Ελληνικά | στρουμφάκι stroumfáki |
| Română | ștrumf |
| Русский | смурф smurf, штрумф štrumf, штрумпф štrumpf |
| Tiếng Việt | xì trum |
| العربية | سَنْفُور sanfūr, سَنَافِر sanāfir |
| עברית | דַּרְדָּס dardás |
verb Used to replace any other verb, as is typical of smurfs
| Italiano | puffare |
|---|
Talk about this word "smurf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/smurf. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. smurf. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/smurf "smurf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/smurf.Cite this
@misc{smurf_2026,
title = {smurf},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/smurf},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
