chaff 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈchaf How to pronounce chaff (audio)
Definition of chaffnext
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

chaff

2 of 3

noun (2)

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

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chaff

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to tease
to make fun of in a good-natured way chaffed her about the brightly colored shirt she had received as a gift

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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 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 chaff
Noun
Turn on the fan, and the moving air will blow away the lighter chaff. — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026 An interesting life and lots of history here, but Kaplan was unable to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff, to my dismay. — The Know, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026 The grain, straw, and chaff of fonio are used as fodder for ruminant animals. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Mar. 2026 In these latest cuts, some of the other firings were in sales, recruiting, and Facebook, signaling that Zuckerberg is separating the chaff in non-AI related units beyond its flailing Metaverse division. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
  1. debris
  2. laugh
  3. tease
  4. joke
  5. garbage
  6. banter
  7. kid
  8. fool
Noun
  • Mercury's rough surface, continually reshaped by debris hurled from impact craters, may have hidden the true extent of the loss, according to the researchers whose findings appear in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This comes after a partial glacier collapse in the Himalayan mountains unleashed a sudden surge of water, mud, and debris that swept through border crossings, valley communities, and hydropower projects on August 26.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of debris
Noun
  • When Jenn and Emily return, Shannon tries to cut the tension by talking about jarred pizza sauce (the only real laugh-out-loud moment of the episode), but there’s no salvaging this night.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Here, she’s matured as a well-rounded comedienne who can pull the stops for subtle approaches to laughs, and though the mugging is still evident, it’s only used for propitious moments.
    — Hank Grant, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of laugh
Verb
  • The Belgian talent’s move to dress Kidman for the premiere is the latest in a string of designers who have opted to tease their vision at a new fashion house through red carpet appearances ahead of the official reveal.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • At the time, Earle only teased her potential response to Cooper, but has publicly remained mostly silent about the conflict until now.
    — Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of tease
Verb
  • Janier jokes that he was born in a cheese vat and that milk runs through his veins.
    — Vivian Song, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Johnson jokes, miming a phone to her ear as Cherkovskiy puts his head in hands.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • Minutes later, another man rifled through the same pile of garbage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The crowd revolted, showering the court with cups, beer cans and garbage.
    — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • Their easy banter in a new AD video tour of the film set feels instantly familiar, echoing the dynamic between sisters Sally (Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Kidman) nearly three decades after Practical Magic first cast its spell on audiences in 1998.
    — Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The banter between the two gives McDonagh’s script its usual comic crackle.
    — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of banter
Verb
  • What everyday skills should kids practice before the first week of school?
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Running under the surface of the film is the anxiety that kids his age are lucky to secure any job, even one as low-paying and exploitative as Erika’s studio assistant.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of kid
Verb
  • The second season of The Paper is a sitcom trying to fool itself.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • In July, OpenAI said its models were responsible for a cyber incident on another company, while Anthropic’s Claude models were also responsible for cybersecurity incidents, including in one case where Mythos created fake identities to fool humans.
    — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

chafes
chaff
chaffed
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Cite this Entry

“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on chaff

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chaff

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