1
as in teased
to make fun of in a good-natured way
chaffed her about the brightly colored shirt she had received as a gift
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in joked
to make jokes
a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chaffed
And those advertisers that once chaffed at TV-MA content have been more willing to embrace racy fare in order to appeal to younger viewers who aren’t concerned with a few F-bombs or raw images.
—
Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaffed
Verb
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My sisters teased me about my muffled giggles under the covers in the middle of the night.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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The farm is also accepting reservations for private events and has teased a coming lakefront vacation rental.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Online, people joked about dipping into retirement savings to buy a carton.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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In a lighthearted Instagram video, Shepherd joked about fellow comedian and BFF Kym Whitley planning to steal memorabilia from the show’s greenroom.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When Curt Cignetti was hired just more than two years ago, it was considered a smart move by the athletic department, but no one kidded themselves that Indiana was some sort of raucous fan sleeper cell just waiting to be activated.—
Will Leitch,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chaffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaffed. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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