stuff
Forms
- Plural
- stuffs
- present (v1)
- stuff
- past (v2)
- stuffed
- past participle (v3)
- stuffed
- present participle
- stuffing
- 3rd person singular
- stuffs
Definitions
1.Miscellaneous items or objects; (with possessive) personal effects.(informal)
- He took away locks, and gave away the king's stuff.
2.Unspecified things or matters.(informal)
- I had to do some stuff.
3.The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object.
- She was going out to buy some lengths of good woollen stuff for Louise's winter dresses.
- "And you can buy a dress for your wife off this piece of stuff," said Lisetta, who had always an eye to business.
- 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.
4.Used as placeholder, usually for material of unknown type or name.(informal)
- Can I have some of that stuff on my ice-cream sundae?
1.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.To fill a space with (something) in a compressed manner.
- He stuffed his clothes into the closet and shut the door.
- You can't just stuff it in a vault somewhere and cross your fingers.
- Put them [roses] into a[…] glass, with narrow mouths, stuffing them close together […] and [they] retain[…] smell […][and] colour.
3.To fill with seasoning.
- She stuffed the turkey for Thanksgiving using her secret recipe.
4.To load goods into (a container) for transport.
Frequency
Overall
Common· #662
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Common
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
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”).