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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of buff
Lily Wohlner, Allure, 22 Feb. 2026
This is one of Europe’s largest and most impressive building projects of the 21st century, and every visitor to Hamburg should at the very least swing by—particularly classical music-lovers and architecture buffs.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 20 Jan. 2026
For extra shine, Sokolowski suggests buffing lightly with a dry cloth.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for buff
Noun
Argan shell powder gently buffs while argan oil helps replenish hydration, leaving you with bouncy, refreshed strands.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 22 Feb. 2026
This is one of Europe’s largest and most impressive building projects of the 21st century, and every visitor to Hamburg should at the very least swing by—particularly classical music-lovers and architecture buffs.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Verb
To buff your stainless steel, use a mixture of water and a few drops of vinegar sprayed onto your microfiber cloth.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 20 Jan. 2026
For extra shine, Sokolowski suggests buffing lightly with a dry cloth.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for buff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buff
Noun
-
Picture a waterfront bustling with bobbing fishing boats and the air tinged with the scent of fresh seafood, as San Hing Praya Street and Pak She Praya Road dish out alfresco dining scenes straight out of a sunset lover's dream.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Under a sprawling white tent on Miami Beach, thousands of food lovers gathered Saturday to eat, drink and celebrate in style.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Connell, who was born in Oklahoma City in 1974 and has lived in Chicago since 2007, became fascinated with Wilson after noticing similarities between a famous Weston nude and one that Connell had taken of her own wife, Betsy Odom, three-quarters of a century later.—
Lori Waxman,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Essie Penny Talk For those who aren't quite ready to dive right into bright and pastel shades, this metallic copper color is more interesting than a plain nude yet still lowkey.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Rinse apples under running water and gently rub them to remove dirt and microbes before eating.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Be careful not to rub or pull the area, warns Wallace.—
Tracy Perez Han,
InStyle,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
No one is competing for attention—the aesthetic leans East Coast understated luxury, with linen sets, oversized sun hats, and Hermès slides rather than logo-forward designer pieces—but most guests dress just polished enough to match the surrounding setting.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Make sure to use high-quality silver polish to avoid damaging it and have fine scratches removed, but be sure not to over-polish it.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Pisces are suckers for anything romantic.—
Katherine J Igoe,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Why to Prune Viburnums Viburnums seldom need pruning other than to remove damaged, diseased, and dead branches, or sucker shoots that grow straight up from the roots but don’t flower.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Apple also pointed to a feature the company offers called Communication Safety that warns children and blurs the image when nudity is detected while receiving or attempting to send content and displays a warning.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The finale, which focuses on a single subject (obsessed with and thus defensive of his own public nudity), comes closest to escaping a steady stream of antagonization and painting a nuanced portrait of what’s keeping a range of Americans from finding community.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The hard edges and rough parts were getting sanded down, and the arguments and ideas were more uniform.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The short’s dreamy black-and-white sequences, as well as its absence of character dialogue, sanded down AI’s rough edges.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Her long-term commitment to Ukrainian poetry shows in the precision and restraint of the English versions, which preserve Malihon’s tonal shifts without smoothing their rawness.—
Alex Averbuch,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The beach was filled with stones that had been smoothed to perfect ovals and circles by thousands of years of being tossed by the sea, some gray and striated with pure white, and others that when wet were the color of emeralds.—
Nicole Krauss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buff. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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