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
Relevance
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
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
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
Verb
-
As a new filmmaker offering a new take on Leatherface more than 50 years after the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Curry Barker recently teased his plans for the reboot.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
2 May 2026
-
In an interview for Rolling Stone’s Future of Music series, the trio teased their evolving sound.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Lindsay jokes that Kyle lost his wedding ring but found a DJ career, which lights the long fuse that ignites the whole evening.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
Former President Barack Obama joked with Stephen Colbert about the talk show host running for president.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
6 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
Verb
-
Instead of roasting, the dehydrating preserves natural flavor and delivers Daily Crunch's signature Uniquely Crunchy bite.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Starbucks ended its fiscal 2025 with 14,000 employees working outside its cafes — ranging from corporate support to roasting and logistics roles.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After killing Minnesota’s first power play, the Avalanche opened the scoring when defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first career playoff goal, fooling Wallstedt with a rising wrist shot.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
-
Don’t let Will Lee’s nickname fool you.—
Mike Kaye
May 4,
Charlotte Observer,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
