ruff

1 of 4

noun (1)

variants or ruffe
: a small freshwater European perch (Gynocephalus cernua synonym Acerina cernua)

ruff

2 of 4

noun (2)

1
: a large round collar of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women of the late 16th and early 17th centuries
2
: a fringe or frill of long hairs or feathers growing around or on the neck of an animal
3
: a common Eurasian sandpiper (Calidris pugnax synonym Philomachus pugnax) whose male during the breeding season has a large ruff of erectile feathers on the neck
ruffed adjective

Illustration of ruff

Illustration of ruff
  • ruff 1

ruff

3 of 4

verb

ruffed; ruffing; ruffs

intransitive verb

: to take a trick with a trump

transitive verb

: to play a trump on (a card previously led or played)

ruff

4 of 4

noun (3)

: the act of trumping

Examples of ruff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Layers of gauzy chiffon were cinched with bustiers and ruffs were made from shredded newspaper. Violet Goldstone, WWD, 4 Nov. 2024 When East discards on a trump lead to the ace next, Cy can lead a trump to dummy’s nine, take his club ruff in dummy and cash the queen of trumps. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
If East-West had followed, Cy would have drawn trumps, cashed the K-A of clubs and ruffed his last club in dummy for 10 sure tricks. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024 East won and led the ace of clubs, forcing dummy to ruff with ten and making a winner of West’s eight of trumps. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ruff 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English ruf

Noun (2)

probably back-formation from ruffle

Verb

Middle French roffler

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (3)

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ruff was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near ruff

Cite this Entry

“Ruff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruff. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ruff

noun
ˈrəf
1
: a large round collar of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women in the 16th and 17th centuries
2
: a fringe of long hairs or feathers growing around or on the neck of an animal
ruffed
ˈrəft
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on ruff

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!