stuff

noun

\ 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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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

Lab meats can have the beneficial nutrients of meat—iron, vitamin B12, selenium, niacin, and so forth—while also cutting down on the bad stuff, namely the cholesterol and fat content, by integrating only as much as is needed for flavor. — Amanda Little, The New Republic, "The Meat Mogul’s Case For Lab-Grown Beef," 1 July 2019 Later as Jake and Tana are making out in Tana's bed, Jake's mom walks in, and while that could have made things super awkward, Pam seems pretty used to walking in on weird stuff, being Jake's mom and all. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "A Complete Timeline of Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul's Relationship," 25 June 2019 But no matter how high or low the space under your bed is, there's a handy little cart now on Amazon that's designed to make storing—and accessing—your stuff so much easier. — Brittney Morgan, House Beautiful, "This Rolling Underbed Storage Cart Is the One Thing You Need to Organize Your Dorm Room," 24 June 2019 The elite ones find a way to adapt and succeed with less raw stuff. — Jared Diamond, WSJ, "Clayton Kershaw’s Fastball Isn’t As Fast. Just Don’t Tell Him That.," 20 June 2019 The smaller version is great for looping over your arm as a colorful accessory, but the larger ones can fit a surprising amount of stuff, like laundry at the end of a trip, groceries for your Airbnb, or a haul of souvenirs to take home with you. — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, "I Never Travel Without These Reusable Bags from Baggu," 19 June 2019 Very dry stuff, nothing to shout about on a Sunday chat show. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The latest US Supreme Court rulings are blowing up pundits’ predictions," 15 June 2019 The sun alone accounts for 99.8 percent of the stuff in the solar system. — Stephen Ornes, Discover Magazine, "Our Sun, the Still-mysterious Star That Gives Us Life," 12 June 2019 The road ahead is paved with less stuff National governments and international communities have struggled to take meaningful steps toward addressing carbon emissions. — Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, "How can city dwellers help with climate change? Buy less stuff.," 11 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

With prices mostly in the two or three figures, her studded leather jackets and slinky slip dresses look not unlike what stuffs the racks at H&M and Forever 21. — Sheila Marikar, New York Times, "How to Make an American Fashion Brand (No Sewing Required!)," 26 Aug. 2017 Instead, the avocado was simply halved, then stuffed with a corn salad consisting of corn, tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, and lime vinaigrette. — Birmingham Magazine, AL.com, "Birmingham Restaurant Week Review: Lunch at Bottega Cafe," 15 Aug. 2017 Airport officials say the toilet had been stuffed with paper towels, and the airline affected, Southwest, offered replacement bags to some customers. — miamiherald, "One overflowing toilet delayed thousands of people traveling to Florida," 9 Aug. 2017 Mr. Holmes Bakehouse and Smitten Ice Cream have teamed up to blow your mind this weekend, when the former’s signature croissant/muffin hybrids will be stuffed with Smitten flavors. — Marielle Wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 5 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend," 28 July 2017 One major favorite was The Fifth Element, Luc Besson’s 1997 masterpiece, a sci-fi/action wonderment stuffed full of oddball style and weirdo Euro humor. — Richard Lawson, vanityfair.com, "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Is an Endearing, Eye-Popping Mess," 18 July 2017 One major favorite was The Fifth Element, Luc Besson’s 1997 masterpiece, a sci-fi/action wonderment stuffed full of oddball style and weirdo Euro humor. — Richard Lawson, HWD, "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Is an Endearing, Eye-Popping Mess," 18 July 2017 THE factory of the future will be a building stuffed full of robots making robots. — The Economist, "The Gemini makersMillions of things will soon have digital twins," 13 July 2017 Some products that could be coming soon to your favorite food retailer: Mini bagels shaped almost like tennis balls, cheesecake stuffed inside ice cream-style cones and a delicately flavored beverage derived from unroasted coffee beans. — Charles Passy, WSJ, "Cricket Bars, Anyone? Quirky Foods Take Center Stage at Gourmet Trade Show," 26 June 2017

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

7 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for stuff

The first known use of stuff was in the 14th century

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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.