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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chaff
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Archaeobotanists find various parts of plants, including seeds, chaff, fruit pits, nutshells and cobs.
—Alexandria Mitchem Hansen, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
For the rest of us, this is where the wheat and the chaff separate.
—Bo Howard, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Day 2 of school and the wheat’s already been separated from the chaff.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Noun
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
Archaeobotanists find various parts of plants, including seeds, chaff, fruit pits, nutshells and cobs.
—Alexandria Mitchem Hansen, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
For the rest of us, this is where the wheat and the chaff separate.
—Bo Howard, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Day 2 of school and the wheat’s already been separated from the chaff.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Verb
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This extension is a credit to Davis, who teased with talent during his first three seasons before becoming a consistent force in 2025.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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The footage teases high-octane action, sharp dialogue, and moments designed to ignite audience reactions.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He’s joked about me having stolen his glam look.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
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Shitposting, Topinka explains, makes good-faith engagement impossible and critics look foolish because the shitposter is plausibly joking.—
Malavika Kannan,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But don’t kid yourself, this has become a year-round adventure.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2026
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Ziegler most recently served as senior vice president and general merchandise manager at Saks Global overseeing multiple women’s and kids categories for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Upstairs, Café Rincon is an excellent, casual eatery with fabulous Costa Rican coffee (some of which is roasted onsite) as well as a pastry case laden with buttery croissants and inventive pastries and a menu with such ways to start the day as breakfast burritos and acai bowls.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
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Discerning content creators will be more than willing to praise or roast an item, focusing on fabric, fit and value for money.—
Alice Cary,
Vogue,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump proves experts got fooled again.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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The quick shot that fooled Wallstedt was MacKinnon’s NHL-leading 43rd of the season.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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