stuff

noun

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\ ˈstəf

Definition of stuff

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : materials, supplies, or equipment used in various activities: such as

a obsolete : military baggage

b : personal property

2 : material to be manufactured, wrought, or used in construction clear half-inch pine stuff— Emily Holt

3 : a finished textile suitable for clothing especially : wool or worsted material

4a : literary or artistic production

b : writing, discourse, talk, or ideas of little value : trash

5a : an unspecified material substance or aggregate of matter volcanic rock is curious stuff

b : something (as a drug or food) consumed or introduced into the body by humans

c : a matter to be considered the truth was heady stuff long-term policy stuff

d : a group or scattering of miscellaneous objects or articles pick that stuff up off the floor also : nonphysical unspecified material conservation and … all kinds of good stuff — Eric Korn

6a : fundamental material : substance the stuff of greatness

b : subject matter a teacher who knows her stuff

7 : special knowledge or capability showing their stuff

8a : spin imparted to a thrown or hit ball to make it curve or change course

b : the movement of a baseball pitch out of its apparent line of flight : the liveliness of a pitch greatest pitcher of my time … had tremendous stuff— Ted Williams

9 : dunk shot

stuff

verb

stuffed; stuffing; stuffs

Definition of stuff (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to fill by packing things in : cram the boy stuffed his pockets with candy

b : to fill to satiety : surfeit stuffed themselves with turkey

c : to prepare (meat or vegetables) by filling or lining with a stuffing

d : to fill (something, such as a cushion) with a soft material

e : to fill out the skin of (an animal) for mounting

2a : to fill by intellectual effort stuffing their heads with facts

b : to pack full of something immaterial a book stuffed with information

3 : to fill or block up (something, such as nasal passages)

4a : to cause to enter or fill : thrust stuffed a lot of clothing into a laundry bag

b : to put (a ball, a puck, etc.) into a goal forcefully from close range

5 —used in the imperative to express contempt if they didn't like it, stuff 'em— Eric Clapton —often used in the phrases stuff it and get stuffed

6 : to stop (a ballcarrier) abruptly in a football game stuffed the runner just short of a first down

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Synonyms for stuff

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Verb

Examples of stuff in a Sentence

Noun She got out the cooking stuff to bake some cookies. computers, word processors, and stuff like that I need a place to store my stuff. Pick that stuff up off the floor. Verb The boy stuffed his pockets with candy. She stuffed the laundry bag full.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Of course, eating food gives you energy to do stuff—that's how food works. — Rhett Allain, Wired, "How Many Homes Could You Power With Free Doughnuts?," 13 Apr. 2021 Is the stuff coming out of the top of the volcano smoke? — Robin Andrews, Forbes, "St. Vincent’s Volcanic Eruption: Misconceptions Debunked And Questions Answered," 12 Apr. 2021 At the end of 2020, there was a massive Energy Act of 2020 that was hugely bipartisan that made authorizations for investments just like this stuff. — ABC News, "'This Week' Transcript 4-11-21: Sec. Jennifer Granholm, Sen. Roger Wicker," 11 Apr. 2021 That was before January 6th, before all of this other stuff happened. — NBC News, "Meet the Press - April 11, 2021," 11 Apr. 2021 Though his velocity might not yet equal his brother's, the stuff is still good and so is his confidence. — Scott Springer, The Enquirer, "New Richmond's latest Flamm starts varsity career with perfect game," 3 Apr. 2021 For small wall holes from anchors or screws this stuff is a must have! — Maren Estrada, BGR, "TikTokers are flipping out over this $6 product that fixes holes in your walls in seconds," 2 Apr. 2021 And of course, the Motown and Philly sounds, all that stuff was very influential. — Los Angeles Times, "Before the Earth, Wind & Fire vs. Isley Brothers battle on Verzuz, read this interview," 2 Apr. 2021 But, again, there’s people inside the league that are pretty well-connected on this stuff who just alerted me to look out for that. — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, "'Don't sleep on Mac Jones': 49ers' next stunner could be drafting Alabama QB at No. 3," 26 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb This is a way to stuff four different foods into one quesadilla by a method of folding and stacking. — Casey Barber, CNN, "Eat like an astronaut (or a TikTok star) with these tortilla hacks," 14 Apr. 2021 If your goal is to stuff more money into a Roth, then this could be a good way to do it. — Liz Weston, oregonlive, "Liz Weston: ‘Backdoor Roth IRA’ contributions explained," 20 Mar. 2021 In that era the .22 Hornet was making waves, so wildcatters were beginning to stuff its little bullets atop other cases in an effort to gain more speed. — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, "The Fall of the .220 Swift," 12 Mar. 2021 To do so, upload a file, paste an image URL, or use the Search Memes bar to stuff a meme within a meme. — John Kennedy, Popular Science, "How to make a legendary meme," 22 Jan. 2021 Scroll through Pinterest, Instagram, even TikTok and you’ll see people carving jack-o-lantern faces into the side of a bell pepper, to then stuff with a filling of your choice and serve. — Washington Post, "7 Halloween recipes for frightful fun at home," 26 Oct. 2020 To do it anyway, take some foam or other padding and stuff it under the ear pad, all the way around. — Whitson Gordon, Popular Science, "How to make your headphones more comfortable," 27 Dec. 2020 Take some old hunting clothes like a synthetic down jacket, wool sweater or fleece, baselayers, and socks and stuff them into a waterproof drybag. — Matthew Every, Field & Stream, "How to Hunt Ducks in a Winter Storm and Live to Tell About It," 24 Dec. 2020 Wright teamed with linebacker Jordan Brooks to stuff a sneak attempt by Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff on third down. — oregonlive, "Seattle Seahawks capture NFC West crown after posting impressive win over the L.A. Rams: 10 studs and duds," 27 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stuff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

16 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Stuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stuff. Accessed 19 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for stuff

stuff

noun

English Language Learners Definition of stuff

(Entry 1 of 2)

: materials, supplies, or equipment

: a group or pile of things that are not specifically described

informal —used to speak in a general way about something that is talked about, written about, etc.

stuff

verb

English Language Learners Definition of stuff (Entry 2 of 2)

: to fill (something) so that there is no room for anything else

: to push (something) quickly and carelessly into a small space

: to put a seasoned mixture of food into (something that is being cooked)

See the full definition for stuff in the English Language Learners Dictionary

stuff

noun

\ ˈstəf

Kids Definition of stuff

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : materials, supplies, or equipment that people need or use We helped move his stuff to the new apartment.

2 : writing, speech, sounds, actions, or ideas of little value … some of the boys act so immature, making monkey sounds and stuff.— Paula Danziger, Amber Brown

3 : something mentioned or understood but not named Wipe that stuff off your face.