as in debris
discarded or useless material
there's a lot of chaff in this book, and the reader should be on the alert for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in laugh
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
I got no end of chaff about my accent when I was in the military
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chaff
Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
In Figure 2, after the corn stalks are plucked, the cobs are separated and the chaff pulverized.
—Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
That makes the task of sorting wheat from chaff much more time-consuming for editors and referees, and also more technically difficult.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Eventually, at the supercomputer facilities of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Germany, algorithms designed to spot RFI sorted the wheat from the chaff, reducing those 12 billion to 1 million, then 1,000.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Noun
Compared with the seeds of almost every other plant, grass seed is highly palatable, especially for a dexterous ape whose hands can slough off the chaff.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
In Figure 2, after the corn stalks are plucked, the cobs are separated and the chaff pulverized.
—Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
That makes the task of sorting wheat from chaff much more time-consuming for editors and referees, and also more technically difficult.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Eventually, at the supercomputer facilities of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Germany, algorithms designed to spot RFI sorted the wheat from the chaff, reducing those 12 billion to 1 million, then 1,000.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Noun
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
-
The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
There are moments when Lily feels lost and anxious, and another scene where a panicked sheep knocks over furniture, although that is played for laughs.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Even Gawker’s star investigative reporter Adrian Chen, whose exposé of the dark web marketplace Silk Road was a huge scoop, could generate laughs.—
Frank DiGiacomo,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
With The Boys teasing a return for Aya Cash‘s Stormfront in the upcoming prequel series, Eric Kripke has no plans to retcon her motivations.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
10 May 2026
-
Although Talamasca is ending, AMC teased possible iterations of the universe in future shows.—
Alyssa Modos,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Other comics, like Jeff Ross and Katt Williams, joked about Hart once attending a Diddy party.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Kevin Sussman, Lauren Lapkus, Brian Posehn and John Ross Bowie event joked about the show’s title, which was a long time coming.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Secure garbage and recycling bags.—
Barbara Bellesi Zito,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
-
Investigators said nearly 6,500 pets were promised a proper burial by Vereb, but instead their bodies were dumped in landfills or left in leaking garbage bags.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
What starts as banter may reveal opportunity.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
-
The conversation includes some light teasing about each other’s attachment styles — the intimate banter of close friends.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Gosling, of course, was kidding.—
Jake Coyle,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
Young Michael may have seemed strange, or just plain different, to kids his own age, but what about the adult Michael, whose professional life took him outside the family orbit and into offices, studios, and night clubs?—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Wipe the slats with a clean, dry microfiber cloth to pick up as much dust as possible.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
10 May 2026
-
Regularly clean the filters, vents, and coils to prevent dust buildup and use a programmable timer to avoid running the unit constantly.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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