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
Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 May 2026
Up till now, the three babies had been totally white fluff balls.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 May 2026
And despite captain Wendie Renard fluffing the initial penalty, she was afforded a second chance because Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar had stepped off her line.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fluff
Noun
For deep cleanings, detach the rug cover from its pad, machine wash the cover separately in cold water using a mild, non-bleach detergent and tumble-dry on air fluff mode or lay flat.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 May 2026
Up till now, the three babies had been totally white fluff balls.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Verb
To serve, fluff rice with a fork.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 May 2026
And despite captain Wendie Renard fluffing the initial penalty, she was afforded a second chance because Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar had stepped off her line.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fluff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fluff
Noun
-
Also known as snow monkeys, Japanese macaques, native to Japan, have a thick, lush fur coat that is adapted to cold climates, according to New England Primate Conservancy.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
-
Hruskova appeared in her own video, flawlessly made up in a fur-collared coat.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
There are always mistakes on the petitions.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
-
Wembanyama rectified that mistake on the next play.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
During Miami’s two periods of special teams work Malik Washington fumbled his first kickoff return, but most of the other punt returners and kickoff returned fielded their attempts well.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
-
But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
In the Bay Area, fire and police departments in San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco have blown past their overtime budgets by tens of millions of dollars in recent years.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
Each basket drew a huge applause from the championship-hungry Garden crowd, including his slam in the final minutes of the first half after blowing by unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Victory Wembanyama.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
If some, over that last 78 years, were able to look away before, where can one look now when rubble piles up in every direction?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
America’s emergency pile of crude, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, is rapidly heading toward the lowest level since the early 1980s.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Santos, whose political rise and fall was characterized by a notorious trail of lies and falsehoods, claimed my story was riddled with errors.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
4 June 2026
-
The other Philadelphia runs scored on a throwing error by San Diego reliever Yuki Matsui on a pickoff attempt and a fielder's choice by Brandon Marsh.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Chip stocks, however, stumbled; bitcoin is hovering at its weakest since the war began, private credit is throwing off sparks again — and a flesh-eating parasite has turned up in Texas.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
-
The goal of the game is to land the stunt successfully without stumbling.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Years earlier, in 2001, the undercover detective involved claimed her career had been ruined by the case, and received around $166,000 in an out-of-court settlement, per the BBC.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
-
Think about it the next time a presidential rant ruins your coffee.—
Steven Andreasen,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fluff. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
