tiff
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tiff¹
- /tɪf/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɪf
Where it comes from
The origin of the noun is unknown; it is possibly originally dialectal and may be onomatopoeic, representing the sound of a small puff of air or gas. The verb is derived from the noun.
noun tiffs
- A (generally small) argument or disagreement; a petty quarrel, a spat. My Lord and I have had another little—Tiff, ſhall I call it? It came not up to a quarrel. Married people vvould have enough to do, if they vvere to trouble their friends every time they miſunderſtood one another.
- A brief outburst or period of bad temper; a snit; also (rare) any brief outburst (for example, of laughter). [A]s if / Returning homevvards in a furious Tiff; / Your Hoſt declares, he's ſorry at his Heart, / And humbly acts the penitential Part.
verb tiffs · tiffing · tiffed
-
To be involved in a (generally small) argument or disagreement; to squabble.
I very much indeed approve / Of maidens moderating love / Until they've twenty pounds; / […] / Until the twenty pounds were safe, / She tiff'd at Tim, she ran from Ralph, / Squire nodded … deuce a curtsy!
Similar: spat, tift, squabble, barney, bicker, quarrel, wrangle, argue, tiff, quibble, row, pettifog
tiff²
- /tɪf/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɪf
Where it comes from
See TIFF.
noun tiffs
- Alternative letter-case form of TIFF (acronym of tagged image file format).
tiff³
- /tɪf/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɪf
Where it comes from
Probably a back-formation from or clipping of tiff(in) (“(light) midday meal or snack, luncheon”).
verb tiffs · tiffing · tiffed
-
Synonym of tiffin (“to eat a (light) midday meal or snack; to have lunch, to lunch”).
Besides that one to which the permanent residence was attached, Mr. Augustus had several outlaying factories, which he visited from time to time, to superintend the manufacture of his indigo; at all of these he had little bungalows, or temporary abodes, where we tiffed and passed the heat of the day
Similar: tiffin
tiff⁴
- /tɪf/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɪf
Where it comes from
The origin of the noun is unknown; it may be onomatopoeic, representing the sound of liquor being sipped. The verb is derived from the noun.
noun tiffs
- A small draught or sip of liquor (especially diluted or poor quality liquor) or punch. Come, Captain, let not your noble Courage be caſt dovvn; vvhat ſay you to a Glaſs of vvhite VVine, or a Tiff of Punch, by VVay of VVhet?
-
Liquor, especially diluted or poor quality liquor.
By dint of drinking acid tiff, as above mentioned, and smoking segars, in which I am no novice, my Public are to be informed, that I gradually drank and smoked myself into a certain degree of acquaintance with un homme comme il faut [a proper man], one of the few fine old specimens of nobility who a
Similar: tift
verb tiffs · tiffing · tiffed
- To drink (liquor), especially slowly or in small amounts; to sip. Nor did the Doctor fail to go / To the bright region of the Row; / There tiff'd his punch and talk'd and smok'd, / Was sometimes grave and sometimes jok'd; […]
tiff⁵
- /tɪf/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɪf
Where it comes from
From Middle English tiffen, tif, tiffe (“to adorn, dress up; to arrange (a hairstyle); to disguise”), from Old French tifer, tiffer (“to adorn, dress up”) (modern French attifer (“to deck out”)), from Frankish *tipfōn, *tippōn (“to decorate”), possibly related to Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (“plait of hair, tuft; summit, top”) (see the further etymology at that entry).
The noun is derived from the verb.
cognates
* Dutch tippen (“to clip the points or ends of the hair”)
* English tip (noun)
* Middle High German zipfen (“to bob; to flutter; to frisk, prance, skip; to sashay”)
* Old Norse tippa (“point, tip”)
verb tiffs · tiffing · tiffed
- To deck out or dress (someone or oneself, or their body or hair). Is the Miſs under a force vvhen ſhe culls among her trinkets vvith curious toil to tiff herſelf out in the most engaging manner, or teazes pappa for money to buy a nevv-faſhioned ſilk?
- To deck out or dress one's body or hair. I never pin up my Hair vvith Proſe. I fancy ones Hair vvou'd not curl if it vvere pinn'd up vvith Proſe. […] Ay, poor Mincing tift and tift all the morning.
TIFF⁶
- /tɪf/
Sounds like tiff
proper noun
- Acronym of tagged image file format
Tiff⁷
Where it comes from
Shortened from Tiffany.
proper noun Tiffs
- A diminutive of the female given name Tiffany.
Tiff⁸
noun Tiffs
- Alternative form of TIFF
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: squabble, bicker, bickering, fuss, spat, quarrel, snit, row, tif, lou, tift, lovers' tiff, squabbling, quibbling, twiff, threap
Translations
Talk about this word "tiff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tiff. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tiff. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tiff "tiff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tiff.Cite this
@misc{tiff_2026,
title = {tiff},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tiff},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
