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stuff

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stuff¹

  • /stʌf/ US, UK
  • /stɐf/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /stʊf/ Northern England

Rhymes with -ʌf

Where it comes from

From Middle English stuf, stuffe, from Anglo-Latin stuffa and its etymon Old French estofe, estoffe, estuf, estuffe, stoffe, from estoffer, estofer (“to provide what is necessary, equip, stuff”), borrowed from Old High German stoffōn, from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn (“to clog up, block, fill”). More at stop.

noun stuffs

  1. informal, uncountable, usually Miscellaneous items or objects; (with possessive) personal effects. What is all that stuff on your bedroom floor? He didn't want his pockets to bulge so he was walking around with all his stuff in his hands.
  2. informal, obsolete, uncountable, usually Furniture; goods; domestic vessels or utensils. and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.
  3. informal, uncountable, usually Unspecified things or matters. I had to do some stuff.
  4. uncountable, usually The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object. Near-synonyms: constituents, ingredients; see also Thesaurus:substance

    Similar: matter, substance, constituents, ingredients, corporeity, body, mass, material, stuff

  5. archaic, uncountable, usually A material for making clothing; any woven textile, but especially a woollen fabric. Without waiting for a reply, she unbound the veil from her head, and took off the loose black novice's robe, which she had put over a gray stuff dress similar to that worn by Lucy.

    Similar: matter, substance, constituents, ingredients, corporeity, body, mass, material, stuff

  6. archaic, uncountable, usually Boards used for building.

    Similar: matter, substance, constituents, ingredients, corporeity, body, mass, material, stuff

  7. uncountable, usually Abstract/figurative substance or character. When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; / Ambition should be made of sterner stuff

    Similar: matter, substance, constituents, ingredients, corporeity, body, mass, material, stuff

  8. dated, uncountable, usually Pulp; paper stock ground ready for use. When partly ground, it is called half stuff.

    Similar: matter, substance, constituents, ingredients, corporeity, body, mass, material, stuff

  9. informal, uncountable, usually Used as placeholder, usually for material of unknown type or name. Can I have some of that stuff on my ice-cream sundae?

    Similar: doodad, thingamabob, Sorted by number of Google hits, widget, hickey, gizmo, thingy, gimmick, thingie, jigger, gismo, gubbins

  10. slang, uncountable, usually Narcotic drugs, especially heroin. For some idiotic reason the bureaucrats are more opposed to tea than to stuff.

    Similar: dope, gear, recreational drug, drug, horse, stuff, substance

  11. obsolete, uncountable, usually A medicine or mixture; a potion. I[…]did compound for her / A certaine ſtuffe, which being tane, would ceaſe / The preſent powre of life[…].
  12. euphemistic, sometimes, uncountable, usually Refuse or worthless matter; hence, also, foolish or irrational language. Don't give me any of that 'what-about' stuff!

    Similar: garbage, rubbish, nonsense, stuff and nonsense, cultch, crap, debris, dreck, drek, gash, junk, litter

  13. uncountable, usually A melted mass of turpentine, tallow, etc., with which the masts, sides, and bottom of a ship are smeared for lubrication. The master, at my earnest solicitation, examined his vessel, and though he prefers the coal tar, yet he told me, there were shells sticking on, and that a very thin coat of stuff, if any, remained.
  14. dated, slang, uncountable, usually Money.

stuff²

  • /stʌf/ US, UK
  • /stɐf/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /stʊf/ Northern England

Rhymes with -ʌf

Where it comes from

From Middle English stuffen (“to equip, furnish”), borrowed from Old French estoffer, estofer (“to provide what is necessary, equip, stuff”), borrowed from Old High German stoffōn, from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn (“to clog up, block, fill”). More at stop.

verb stuffs · stuffing · stuffed

  1. transitive To fill by packing or crowding something into; to cram with something; to load to excess. I'm going to stuff this pillow with feathers.
  2. transitive To fill a space with (something) in a compressed manner. He stuffed his clothes into the closet and shut the door.
  3. transitive To fill with seasoning. She stuffed the turkey for Thanksgiving using her secret recipe.
  4. transitive To load goods into (a container) for transport.
  5. transitive, used in the passive To sate. I’m stuffed after having eaten all that turkey, mashed potatoes and delicious stuffing.
  6. pronominal, usually To eat, especially in a hearty or greedy manner. She sits on the sofa all day, watching TV and stuffing herself with cream buns.

    Similar: fill one's face, feed one's face, stuff one's face

  7. Australia, New Zealand, UK, transitive To break; to destroy. He skidded off the road and totally stuffed his brand new car.
  8. Australia, New Zealand, UK, transitive, vulgar To sexually penetrate. His wife came home early and found him on the couch stuffing the maid.

    Similar: fuck, root, screw

  9. imperative, mildly, often, transitive, vulgar Used to contemptuously dismiss or reject something. See also stuff it. Stuff your stupid rules, I'll do what I like.
  10. informal To heavily defeat or get the better of. Mudchester Rovers were stuffed 7–0 in the semi-final.
  11. transitive To cut off another competitor in a race by disturbing his projected and committed racing line (trajectory) by an abrupt manoeuvre. I got stuffed by that guy on the supermoto going into that turn, almost causing us to crash.
  12. To preserve a dead bird or other animal by filling its skin. KANG: When I take this ship, I'll have Kirk's head stuffed and hung on his cabin wall. // MARA: They will kill us before we can act. // KANG: No, they wish to question us, learn our strength, our plans. They never will. // MARA: We are forty against four hundred. // KLINGON: Four thousand throats ma
  13. transitive To obstruct, as any of the organs; to affect with some obstruction in the organs of sense or respiration. I'm stuffed, cousin; I cannot smell.
  14. transitive To form or fashion by packing with the necessary material. An Eastern king put a judge to death for an iniquitous sentence, and ordered his hide to be stuffed into a cushion, and placed upon the tribunal.
  15. dated, transitive To crowd with facts; to cram the mind of; sometimes, to crowd or fill with false or idle tales or fancies.
  16. transitive To compress (a file or files) in the StuffIt format, to be unstuffed later.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: lug, block, cram, squeeze, fill up, fill, gorge, shove, thrust, clobber, englut, overgorge, overeat, engorge, pig out, ingurgitate

Translations

Every language

noun miscellaneous items; things

Españolcosas, bártulos, trastos
한국어잡것 japgeot
中文東西 /东西 dōngxi
Portuguêscoisas, negócio
Françaistruc
DeutschSachen, Kram, Zeug, Ding
Italianocose, roba
Ελληνικάπράγματα prágmata
Românălucruri, chestii
Русскийдобро́ dobró, ве́щи véšči, штуки shtúki
Tiếng Việtđồ
עבריתחומר \ חֹמֶר khómer

noun the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

Españollo de
日本語原料 genryō, 材料 zairyō, 素材 sozai
中文材料 cáiliào, 東西 /东西 dōngxi
Portuguêsmaterial
DeutschStoff
Italianotessuto, stoffa
Ελληνικάουσία ousía
Русскийвещество́ veščestvó
עבריתחומר \ חֹמֶר khómer

noun substitution for trivial details

Españolcosas
Françaistruc
DeutschKram
עבריתחומר \ חֹמֶר khómer

noun word substituted for material of unknown type or name, placeholder name — see also thingy

Españolcosa, coso, vaina
日本語もの mono
Ελληνικάπράγμα prágma
Русскийшту́ка štúka
עבריתדבר davár

verb to fill by crowding into

Españolatiborrar, rellenar, emborrar, retellenar
日本語詰める tsumeru
中文充塞 chōngsè
Portuguêsentupir
Françaisbourrer, farcir, fourrer, truffer
Deutschausstopfen, füllen
Italianofarcire
Ελληνικάγεμίζω gemízo, παραγεμίζω paragemízo
Românăînfunda, înghesui, îndesa, îndopa, îmbuiba
Русскийнабива́ть nabivátʹ, наби́ть nabítʹ, заполня́ть zapolnjátʹ, запо́лнить zapólnitʹ
Tiếng Việtnhét, nhồi
עבריתמלא milé

verb to fill a space with (something) in a compressed manner

Españolempacar, meter, henchir
Portuguêssocar
Françaisfourrer
Deutschhineinstopfen, reinstopfen
Italianostipare, ficcare
Русскийзаполня́ть zapolnjátʹ, засу́нуть zasúnutʹ, запихну́ть zapixnútʹ
עבריתמלא milé

verb to fill with seasoning

Españolrellenar, embutir, embotir (disused), retellenar
Deutschfüllen
Русскийфарширова́ть farširovátʹ, запра́вить zaprávitʹ

verb to be sated

Españolllenar
日本語満たす mitasu
Italianoessere pieno, essere satollo
Ελληνικάπαρατρώω paratróo, φουσκώνω fouskóno
Русскийнасытиться nasytitʹsja, быть сытым
עבריתשבע savá

verb to make sated

Deutschvoll sein
Русскийнасытить nasytitʹ

verb to eat in a hearty or greedy manner

Españolatiborrarse, empapuzarse, darse un hartazgo, darse una hartada, darse una panzada empacharse
Deutschsich vollstopfen, stopfen

verb to break

日本語壊れる kowareru
Françaispéter, déglinguer
Русскийслома́ться slomátʹsja
עבריתנשבר nishbár

verb vulgar: to sexually penetrate

Deutschnudeln
Русскийсовать sovatʹ, сунуть sunutʹ

verb to preserve a dead animal

Españoldisecar
Portuguêsempalhar
Françaisempailler
Deutschausstopfen
Italianoimpagliare
Русскийнабива́ть nabivátʹ, наби́ть nabítʹ
עבריתפחלץ pikhléts

verb to obstruct the organs of sense or respiration

Deutschverstopfen

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Cite this
MLA

"stuff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/stuff. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

stuff. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/stuff

Chicago

"stuff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/stuff.

BibTeX
@misc{stuff_2026,
  title = {stuff},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/stuff},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}