1
as in fumbling
to make a mistake
unnerved by her earlier missteps, the skater fluffed on the final jump as well
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in blowing
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 fluffing
This allows the grains to hydrate fully before fluffing.
—
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 7 May 2026
And as mentioned above, your curls must be 100% dry before breaking them up, fluffing them, or touching them.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 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
Tidy living areas by fluffing pillows, folding blankets, and removing visible pet hair.
—Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
Remove thick, dense piles of wet and matted leaves, or consider gently fluffing them up with a rake.
—Heather Zidack, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
Following Odsonne Édouard's second-half equalizer, Tosin snatched three points for Lorient in the 65th minute, fluffing his initial attempt before rounding the Lens goalkeeper to score.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
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
Simply spend 60 seconds straightening your sheets, smoothing your comforter or duvet, and fluffing your pillows, and marvel at how the chore instantly makes your entire bedroom look neater.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 7 May 2026
And as mentioned above, your curls must be 100% dry before breaking them up, fluffing them, or touching them.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 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
Tidy living areas by fluffing pillows, folding blankets, and removing visible pet hair.
—Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
Remove thick, dense piles of wet and matted leaves, or consider gently fluffing them up with a rake.
—Heather Zidack, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
Following Odsonne Édouard's second-half equalizer, Tosin snatched three points for Lorient in the 65th minute, fluffing his initial attempt before rounding the Lens goalkeeper to score.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
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
Simply spend 60 seconds straightening your sheets, smoothing your comforter or duvet, and fluffing your pillows, and marvel at how the chore instantly makes your entire bedroom look neater.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fluffing
Verb
-
Trump said, fumbling for words.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
-
But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Instead, he was left with his tail between his legs and claimed that the Spurs actually dominated the series despite blowing leads in all four of their losses.—
Ryan Gaydos OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Workers in the early morning of June 13 took down the president's signage after blowing past a June 12 deadline to comply with a judge's order.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Bryan’s stumbling responses, under questioning from the legendary defense lawyer Clarence Darrow, left him humiliated.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
-
The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Williams acknowledges that there are fears about dubbing fixes being the thin end of a wedge that could lead to actors being replaced, even if Flawless’ AI only manipulates the face from the nose down.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
27 May 2026
-
The place is a sound-effects recording studio, with three sound designers creating and dubbing aural effects — footsteps on a sandy beach, flapping bird wings — onto pieces of film footage.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The footwear rule came into play because local mountain rescue crews were fed up with having to come to the aid of so many people tripping over their own feet.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
-
Other common soccer penalties include tripping, kicking, holding or pulling jerseys, pushing or charging players, and dangerous plays like high kicks or kicking near another player's head.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Historically, barrels of Madeira spent months crossing tropical oceans aboard ships, and merchants realized that the heat actually improved the wine rather than ruining it.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The antics each week involved lovable Gilligan ruining a plan to get the gang rescued, but also ogling the bombshell Ginger (Tina Louise) and getting annoyed by Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus).—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fluffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fluffing. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
