stiff

verb

stiffed; stiffing; stiffs

transitive verb

1

a

: to refuse to pay or tip

stiffed the waiter

b

: cheat

stiffed him in a business deal

c

: stick sense 7a

stiffed us with the bar bill

2

: snub sense 3

stiffed sportswriters after the game

intransitive verb

: to fail commercially

the movie stiffed at the box office

Synonyms of stiff

• cut
• isolate
• slight
• reject
• cold-shoulder
• snub
• repulse
• repel
• stiff-arm
• high-hat

Examples of stiff in a Sentence

the actress has a reputation for stiffing the press at red-carpet events

Recent Examples on the Web

All of which brings us to a basic conclusion: implicit in their support for the IFPA’s implementation, Illinois business owners are making explicit their desire to stiff their workers. —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2026

Generally, my blowout starts to get limp and stiff around day three (despite sleeping in overnight blowout rods), but the week of my Cécred test, my mane still looked fresh-out-the-salon by day five. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2026

Testers noted how plush or stiff the mattress felt after consistent sleep on the mattresses, from a boxed memory foam to a hybrid bed. —Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026

Xavier Worthy #1 of the Kansas City Chiefs stiff arms Alex Highsmith #56 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium on December 25, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. —Tom Chitty, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing stiff

• as stiff as a board
• bindle stiff
• frozen stiff
• lucky stiff
• scared stiff
• stiff-arm
• stiff drink
• stiff-necked
• stiff upper lip

Rhymes for stiff

• biff
• cliff
• diff
• glyph
• griff
• if
• riff
• schiff
• skiff
• sniff
• tiff
• whiff

Kids Definition

stiff

1 of 3 adjective

ˈstif 

1

a

: not easily bent : rigid

b

: not easily moved

stiff muscles

stiff valves

2

a

: marked by moral courage

b

: not easy or graceful in manner

3

: hard fought

a stiff fight

4

a

: exerting great force : strong

a stiff wind

b

: potent sense 2b

a stiff dose

5

: not flowing easily : thick

beat egg whites until stiff

6

a

: harsh sense 3, severe

a stiff penalty

b

: rugged

stiff terrain

7

: expensive sense 2, steep

a stiff price

stiffly adverb

stiffness noun

stiff

2 of 3 adverb

1

: in a stiff manner

2

: to a stiff state or condition

frozen stiff

3

: to an extreme degree

bored stiff

stiff

3 of 3 noun

1

: corpse

2

: person

you lucky stiff

Medical Definition

stiff

adjective

ˈstif 

: lacking in suppleness

stiff muscles

stiffness noun