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
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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
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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
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Film buffs have been arguing about which version is better ever since.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Lily Wohlner, Allure, 5 Mar. 2026
Wipe away the toothpaste residue with a damp cloth and buff the wood with a soft, dry cloth.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for buff
Noun
India Star Movies and Star Movies Select will bring movie buffs the Oscars in India, with JioHotstar also streaming all the action and fun from Hollywood live.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Film buffs have been arguing about which version is better ever since.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
Go in with the glass cuticle pusher to gently soften and push back cuticles (which can help nails look longer), plus the glass polisher, which buffs the nail surface smooth for smoother, better, longer-lasting polish application.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 5 Mar. 2026
Wipe away the toothpaste residue with a damp cloth and buff the wood with a soft, dry cloth.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for buff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buff
Noun
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Theme park lovers who yearn for the mines will have their wish granted in 2027 with the debut of Minecraft World.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
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One of the team's biggest lovers of shoes, senior Rori Harmon gave her stamp of approval.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Also present this weekend was Joan Semmel—a painter focused on sexuality, a surprising take on nudes, and her own aging body—a friend of my mother’s from decades of summers spent in East Hampton’s Springs neighborhood.—
Vanessa Grigoriadis,
Vanity Fair,
10 Mar. 2026
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In ancient Mesopotamia 5,000 years ago, beautiful nudes depict both ideal women and goddesses.—
Anna Swartwood House,
The Conversation,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And Jesse Leasure, who was drenched in pepper spray and felt like his skin was on fire and as though someone had rubbed his eyeballs with sandpaper.—
Olivia George,
Washington Post,
20 Mar. 2026
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The smaller tires also eliminated gear hunting while going up a grade on the highway (which used to drive me nuts), and the tires no longer rubbed when the steering wheel was at full lock.—
Bryan Rogala,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The stage puts a spotlight on smack-talk skills, functioning like a gym where wrestlers work out their character muscles, polish their submission holds and perfect their trash-talking chops in front of a panel of judges.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
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They are polished effortlessly and exactly the kind of shoes that work from day to night.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Non-native species like grass carp and common carp, and native blue sucker, bigmouth buffalo, black buffalo, and smallmouth buffalo, have occasionally been mistaken for black carp.—
Cheyenne Derksen,
Oklahoman,
18 Mar. 2026
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One of the largest suckers in North America, the Razorback Sucker can grow up to three feet long.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Creator and host Eric André took the late-night talk show, a TV genre with all-too-familiar conventions, and twisted it beyond recognition with harrowing celebrity interviews, person-on-the-street stunts, jump-scare pranks, and gratuitous nudity.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
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Crawford discussed her free-spirited attitude toward nudity in a 2019 interview with Net-a-Porter while talking about appearing naked in a photography book.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Then the wood must dry, then be sanded, stained and carved.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
15 Mar. 2026
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After drying and sanding, the pieces are sealed and painted with complex patterns, geometric designs, and Zapotec symbols.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Weeks later, the Queen tapped that relationship to smooth a diplomatic contretemps.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
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Instead of focusing on a single step, these formulas tend to combine exfoliation, hydration, brightening, and smoothing into one multipurpose formula.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buff. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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