1
as in lover
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
he's such a film buff that he owns over 3,000 movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nude
the state of having no clothes on one's body
protected by a fully enclosed backyard, the couple would frequently sunbathe in the buff
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction
she learned to buff semiprecious stones in order to make her own jewelry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to polish
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
the janitor buffed the lobby floor until it shone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of buff
ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
Car buffs from around the county came to the latest Ramona American Graffiti Cruise Car Show on April 18, with 136 cars on display.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
Micaela English, Glamour, 30 Apr. 2026
Ngo coats the nail with a matte primer, which creates a smooth base, before buffing eye shadow across the surface with a nail sponge.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for buff
Noun
Collectively, this effort to spit-shine Windows and buff its reputation could just make Windows 10 upgraders happier and cut down on some Linux curiosity among enthusiasts.
—ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
Car buffs from around the county came to the latest Ramona American Graffiti Cruise Car Show on April 18, with 136 cars on display.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
Verb
Define the Cupid’s bow, lightly trace your natural lip shape, and use a fingertip or lip brush to buff the color inward for a soft, diffused blur.
—Micaela English, Glamour, 30 Apr. 2026
Ngo coats the nail with a matte primer, which creates a smooth base, before buffing eye shadow across the surface with a nail sponge.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for buff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buff
Noun
-
But a pandemic-era program is helping to keep it afloat as inflation worsens, while also aiming to create a new generation of seafood lovers.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
23 May 2026
-
Our country may be heading into tougher economic times, but these music lovers plan to face them with brand new BottleRock hats on their heads, glasses of merlot in their hands and earfuls of the Backstreet Boys and Slightly Stoopid.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
The court system will have to sort out the mess here, but there are some tough lessons to be learned from following your heart down a path that leaves you in a spot where nudes are allegedly flying around.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
The heeled sandals also come in a huge range of colors, including an impressive selection of nudes and metallics that’ll look great with event dresses.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Like Haiti goalkeeper Josué Duverger, who will swap regional soccer in Germany to rub shoulders with Brazil superstars like Vinícius Júnior and Neymar.—
James Robson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
On Valerie, Valerie Harper’s character was killed in a car crash — and then, just to rub it in, the show was renamed The Hogan Family and Sandy Duncan moved into her house.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Plenty of people already use AI to polish text in emails or other documents before sending them, and this is essentially the same thing for voice input.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
12 May 2026
-
Something about a summer ceremony invites fun into a potentially formal dress code—your attire should be polished, yes, but can lean playful and bright.—
Sarah Zendejas,
Vogue,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Democratic states have typically done this, but now that’s a sucker’s game.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
-
That makes students who play by the rules feel like suckers.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The Swedish Film Institute’s Cinemateket, meanwhile, hosted Svenska Synden – a retrospective examining how Swedish cinema’s permissive approach to nudity and sexuality became an international phenomenon that alarmed censors around the world.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
-
In other corners, opinions ran hot about rampant nudity in the Austrian Pavilion.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Maybe his voice wasn’t sanded to perfection on the Gershwin classic.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
-
In an age when wealth can sand down nearly every inconvenience, ranchland still pushes back.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The award-winning Star Flower Niacinamide serum contains thousands of sparkling micro pearls, each packed with fresh, nutrient-rich actives for concentrated calming benefits and deep hydration to smooth the look of pores and fine lines.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
He has not been smoothed by the sandpaper of Washington just yet.—
Rob Crilly,
The Washington Examiner,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buff. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
