stuff

1 of 2

noun

1
: materials, supplies, or equipment used in various activities: such as
a
obsolete : military baggage
2
: material to be manufactured, wrought, or used in construction
clear half-inch pine stuffEmily Holt
3
: a finished textile suitable for clothing
especially : wool or worsted material
4
a
: literary or artistic production
b
: writing, discourse, talk, or ideas of little value : trash
5
a
: 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
6
a
: fundamental material : substance
the stuff of greatness
b
: subject matter
a teacher who knows her stuff
7
: special knowledge or capability
showing their stuff
8
a
: 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 stuffTed Williams
9
stuffless adjective

stuff

2 of 2

verb

stuffed; stuffing; stuffs

transitive verb

1
a
: 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
2
a
: 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)
4
a
: 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 'emEric 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

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
Certain dudes got brought to those teams that would put up with certain stuff. The Indianapolis Star, 8 Mar. 2024 For months, consumer-goods companies found shoppers grumbling about higher prices, sure, but still buying stuff nonetheless. Alina Selyukh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 All that stuff that’s going on, the seedy underbelly. Melinda Newman, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Colton battles and isn’t worried about any of that stuff. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 And Adam Sisman wrote an earlier biography about John le Carré, and then after le Carré died, wrote a follow-up that just really just talked about all the dark side stuff. Michael Calore Lauren Goode, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024 Killers of the Flower Moon had a lot of great stuff in it, but no movie needs to be three hours and 25 minutes — like me, a lot of people had to watch it at home, and unlike me, a lot of people probably didn’t make it to the end. Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 No one wanted to pay attention or do that sort of stuff and stop work. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 And if you’re jazzed by local elections, but less so the federal stuff? Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
White tights stuffed with socks, tutus and an orange pepper blossomed into Björk’s infamous swan frock from 2001. Max Berlinger, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 After days of agony, success is a room of people glancing at Lizzy’s work while stuffing their gullets with cheese. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The seat and back cushions are stuffed with foam and the 22-inch wide seat offers plenty of room to settle into that plush comfort. L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024 Two rooms in the converted student dormitory hang with drying laundry and are stuffed with cooking tools, a TV, and whatever else could be brought from home. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar. 2024 Plus, it’s made with durable scratch-proof faux leather that will be able to take on the daily strain of travel while remaining in superior condition, while soft and sturdy straps are comfortable to carry even when your bag is stuffed to the brim. Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2024 The San Antonio Spurs rookie stuffed the stat sheet in a statement 132-118 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Sam Joseph, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 The adult side of the menu does not offer pizza-making, however there are fine dining options, such as tempura fried squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese or a short rib pasta with a red wine braise, kale, carrots and Parmesan cheese. Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Much of the waste is still incinerated, but items composed of useful plastics, including containers stuffed with syringes and surgical tools wrapped in packaging, are identified, shredded and converted into building materials. Ted Alcorn, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stuff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English stuff, stuffe "military supplies, provisions, household goods, building material, fabric, filling of a pastry," borrowed from Anglo-French estuffe "provision, stock," noun derivative of estuffer, estoffer "to furnish (with supplies, arms), fill" — more at stuff entry 2

Verb

Middle English stuffen, stoffen "to furnish, equip (with arms, provisions), fill, cram full," borrowed from Anglo-French estuffer, estoffer (also continental Old French), probably borrowed from Old High German stophōn "put (something into something), cram full," going back to West Germanic *stoppōjan-, whence also Old English -stoppian, in forstoppian "to stop up, close completely" — more at stop entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

Dictionary Entries Near stuff

Cite this Entry

“Stuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stuff. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stuff

1 of 2 noun
1
: supplies or equipment that people need or use
2
: writing, conversation, or ideas often of little or temporary worth
3
: something mentioned or understood but not named
sold tons of the stuff
4
a
: basic part of something : substance
the stuff of greatness
b
: body of knowledge
teachers who know their stuff
5
a
: actions or talk of a particular kind
how do they get away with such stuff
b
: special knowledge or ability
a person who has the right stuff will do well here

stuff

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to fill by or as if by packing things in
was stuffing her pockets with candy
b
: to eat too much
don't stuff yourself with pizza
c
: to fill with a stuffing
stuffed the pillow
2
: to fill with ideas or information
stuffed their heads with facts
3
: to fill or block up
a sore throat and stuffed nose
4
: to put or push into something especially carelessly or with little concern
stuffed the clothes into the drawer
stuffer noun

Medical Definition

stuff

transitive verb
: to choke or block up (as nasal passages)
a stuffed up nose

More from Merriam-Webster on stuff

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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