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
Patagonia Black Hole Duffle 40L Courtesy of brand 40/46 Patagonia Black Hole Duffle 40L $159 Patagonia A long weekend’s best friend, the Patagonia Black Hole bag fits just the right amount of stuff for a few days away. Annie Blackman, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2024 Fabric scraps, the netting from bags that may have once held tangerines—all this stuff Jackson synthesized into a whole that owes nothing to Rauschenberg’s assemblages or to the Arte Povera movement but grew out of the art of making do. Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
Filled with intrigue, secrets, rivalries, romance, plot twists, and swoon-worthy costumes, Downton Abbey is stuffed to the brim with our favorite British tropes. Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 27 Sep. 2024 The dumplings are stuffed with meat, fish, vegetables and spices. Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stuff 

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 15 Oct. 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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