1
2
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
the flustered newscaster's fluffs included a mispronunciation of the town's name
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fumble
to make a mistake
unnerved by her earlier missteps, the skater fluffed on the final jump as well
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to blow
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I completely fluffed the introduction by calling the boss's wife by the wrong name
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 fluff
Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2026
But there is also a common view that team building activities are ‘fluff’ or only done as a special annual or quarterly event.
—Heather V. MacArthur, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
If possible, stand up and lightly fluff the cushion after use to help the fill rebound.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fluff
Noun
Southerners have worked the iconic chocolate-and-vanilla flavor into ice cream, fluff, brownies, and even layer cake, though there’s certainly a time and place for the nostalgic dunking of a cookie straight from the blue Oreo packaging into a glass of ice-cold milk.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2026
But there is also a common view that team building activities are ‘fluff’ or only done as a special annual or quarterly event.
—Heather V. MacArthur, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz had squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
If possible, stand up and lightly fluff the cushion after use to help the fill rebound.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fluff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fluff
Noun
-
The faux fur trim gives it an elevated touch, and the fuzzy pockets really seal the deal.—
Jamie Fischer,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Still, once the lower fur overhang is added, these look superb.—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, recruitment mistakes saw their recent troubles compared to United’s since 2013.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The open availability of this kind of material poses a threat not only to migrants and activists but anyone with a digital footprint, because depending on AI to sort through it will inevitably lead to mistakes.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But Jaylen Petty fumbled the outlet pass after the steal, and UCF (17-4, 6-3 Big 12) recovered to set up Fulks' jumper to go up by two possessions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The rest of the team was also fumbling, and everyone but Edwards had struggled to score.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But aerospace engineers at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a material that blows those two out of the water with nearly thrice the thermal conductivity.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The shuttle just suddenly blew apart.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Joe subtly smiled, like a Western Pennsylvania dad after his kid just lowered his shoulder and pushed the pile forward into the end zone.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Mozilla’s cash pile is dwarfed by OpenAI, which has raised more than $60 billion from investors across the globe, and its rival Anthropic, which has raised more than $30 billion, according to PitchBook.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Medal reallocations have historically surfaced after doping or other cheating cases, but Chiles’ dispute centered on an apparent error by the International Gymnastics Federation, the sport’s governing body.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Elevated prices though have narrowed the margin for error.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The sort of challenge that has caused United to stumble in recent times.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Stocks had stumbled there in prior days after MSCI, an influential company in the investment industry that creates stock and other indexes, warned about market risks such as a lack of transparency.—
Stan Choe,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
1 Feb. 2026
-
To say much more would be to ruin the wild twists and turns that unfold as the night marches onward.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fluff. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
