1
: a garment (such as a uniform) made of buff leather
2
: the state of being nude
sunbathing in the buff
3
a
: a moderate orange yellow
b
: a light to moderate yellow
4
: a device having a soft absorbent surface (as of cloth) by which polishing material is applied
5
[earlier buff an enthusiast about going to fires; perhaps from the buff overcoats worn by volunteer firefighters in New York City about 1820]
: fan, enthusiast
1
: of the color buff
2
or buffed
: having a physique enhanced by bodybuilding exercises
buffed; buffing; buffs
2
: to give a velvety surface to (leather)
Synonyms
Examples of buff in a Sentence
Noun
he's such a film buff that he owns over 3,000 movies
protected by a fully enclosed backyard, the couple would frequently sunbathe in the buff
Adjective
He's at the gym every day trying to get buff.
the buff body of an athlete
Verb
The floors are waxed and buffed every year.
She is going to the salon to get her nails buffed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Armani Syed, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
History buffs can explore Fort Jefferson, built to protect one of the United States’ most strategic deepwater anchorages.
—Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Before a screening and Q&A with the actor known for his role in Parasite, Snowpiercer, and The Host, Oh prepared a menu that allowed film buffs to enjoy dishes featured in the Oscar Award-winning film Parasite including pork belly bossam and steak jjapaguri.
—Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
Nonetheless, most guides say the job is fun and engaging — ideal for an aspiring actor or dramatic history buff.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2024
Even many film buffs have never heard of Lillian St. Cyr.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024
Literary buffs jokingly speculate on who could become Germany’s equivalent of Michel Houellebecq—the chronicler of his country’s descent.
—Joseph De Weck, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
Many silent films survive only on inferior 16-millimeter prints made by distributors or buffs or companies that catered to schools, prisons and other nontheatrical clients.
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Since disappearing, Earhart keeps surfacing, born aloft on wild postulations from a cottage industry staffed with history buffs, aviation nerds and undersea explorers.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Charlotte Lytton, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Gyllenhaal will step into the role of UFC fighter turned rough-and-rowdy bouncer James Dalton, with his poster revealing a super buff Jake — with a full left arm sleeve of ink — staring into the camera, his face also showing signs of combat.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Feb. 2024
Law & Order star Christopher Meloni is showing off his buff physique in a playful new digital ad.
—Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 3 July 2023
Jean Paul Gaultier suit printed with a buff optical-illusion body over it.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 28 June 2023
Combine with a buff Enchantress, mobile Jeff and the traditional Darkhawk/Rockslide/Korg combo, Nebula can get power as your opponent scrambles to deal with everything else.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 4 May 2023
Separately, university officials decided to test it out, with the addition of one of the school colors (which are buff and blue, like certain Continental Army uniforms).
—Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023
Designed on a vertical axis to take advantage of the views, with a buff-colored brick exterior and a roof of gray stone tiles, the eight-bedroom, three-story house is bordered with a half-acre of gardens that meander up the hillside behind it, in shades of fuchsia and yellow in spring.
—Nancy Hass Henry Bourne, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023
The 24-year-old pop star posted a series of photos from his time in the country Sunday (March 26), including a couple snapshots showing off his buff upper body glowing a painful-looking shade of red.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2023
Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 3 Jan. 2024
Dune: Part Two, picking up where 2021’s Dune left off, buffs out the white-savior sheen of that telling of the story.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024
Final touches to the special-edition bottles include buffing and polishing for maximum shine.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024
Its fine crystals gently buffed away our patches of contact dermatitis.
—Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
To remove your gel polish like the salons, Gatlin recommends starting by buffing off the shiny layer of polish.
—Addie Morton, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2024
Minor scratches can sometimes be removed by buffing them with a soft cloth and a slightly gritty, non-gel toothpaste.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2024
Some of the bags had light scuff marks that could be buffed out.
—Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2024
It had not been buffed to the highest possible sheen.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2024
Noun
But with King Charles’ permission, history buffs can expect an interior tour that spans the Victorian era to the present day.
—Armani Syed, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
History buffs can explore Fort Jefferson, built to protect one of the United States’ most strategic deepwater anchorages.
—Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Before a screening and Q&A with the actor known for his role in Parasite, Snowpiercer, and The Host, Oh prepared a menu that allowed film buffs to enjoy dishes featured in the Oscar Award-winning film Parasite including pork belly bossam and steak jjapaguri.
—Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
Nonetheless, most guides say the job is fun and engaging — ideal for an aspiring actor or dramatic history buff.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2024
Even many film buffs have never heard of Lillian St. Cyr.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024
Literary buffs jokingly speculate on who could become Germany’s equivalent of Michel Houellebecq—the chronicler of his country’s descent.
—Joseph De Weck, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
Many silent films survive only on inferior 16-millimeter prints made by distributors or buffs or companies that catered to schools, prisons and other nontheatrical clients.
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Since disappearing, Earhart keeps surfacing, born aloft on wild postulations from a cottage industry staffed with history buffs, aviation nerds and undersea explorers.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Spora grew out of Alchemist’s Copenhagen test kitchen, where chefs still shape and puff and buff dishes during the first part of each night’s meal.
—Charlotte Lytton, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Gyllenhaal will step into the role of UFC fighter turned rough-and-rowdy bouncer James Dalton, with his poster revealing a super buff Jake — with a full left arm sleeve of ink — staring into the camera, his face also showing signs of combat.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Feb. 2024
Law & Order star Christopher Meloni is showing off his buff physique in a playful new digital ad.
—Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 3 July 2023
Jean Paul Gaultier suit printed with a buff optical-illusion body over it.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 28 June 2023
Combine with a buff Enchantress, mobile Jeff and the traditional Darkhawk/Rockslide/Korg combo, Nebula can get power as your opponent scrambles to deal with everything else.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 4 May 2023
Separately, university officials decided to test it out, with the addition of one of the school colors (which are buff and blue, like certain Continental Army uniforms).
—Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023
Designed on a vertical axis to take advantage of the views, with a buff-colored brick exterior and a roof of gray stone tiles, the eight-bedroom, three-story house is bordered with a half-acre of gardens that meander up the hillside behind it, in shades of fuchsia and yellow in spring.
—Nancy Hass Henry Bourne, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023
The 24-year-old pop star posted a series of photos from his time in the country Sunday (March 26), including a couple snapshots showing off his buff upper body glowing a painful-looking shade of red.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2023
Verb
The bristles are also highly flexible and durable and don’t shed when buffing out the foundation on the complexion.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 3 Jan. 2024
Dune: Part Two, picking up where 2021’s Dune left off, buffs out the white-savior sheen of that telling of the story.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024
Final touches to the special-edition bottles include buffing and polishing for maximum shine.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024
Its fine crystals gently buffed away our patches of contact dermatitis.
—Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
To remove your gel polish like the salons, Gatlin recommends starting by buffing off the shiny layer of polish.
—Addie Morton, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2024
Minor scratches can sometimes be removed by buffing them with a soft cloth and a slightly gritty, non-gel toothpaste.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2024
Some of the bags had light scuff marks that could be buffed out.
—Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2024
It had not been buffed to the highest possible sheen.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing buff
Dictionary Entries Near buff
Cite this Entry
“Buff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buff. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
buff
1 of 3 noun1
: an orange yellow
2
: a device with a soft absorbent surface (as of cloth) for applying polishing material
3
: fan entry 3, enthusiast
a tennis buff
buff
2 of 3 adjective
: of the color buff
buff
3 of 3 verb
: to polish with or as if with a buff
More from Merriam-Webster on buff
Nglish: Translation of buff for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of buff for Arabic Speakers
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