piffle 1 of 2

Definition of pifflenext

piffle

2 of 2

verb

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 piffle
Noun
That may not sound like a virtue, but in a world where horror comes either overloaded with metaphor or reduced to bloody piffle, Cregger valiantly navigates an unnerving middle way. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025 The irony of the lightweight piffle being resurrected 26 years later isn’t lost on the group. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023 The whole story now seems like so much piffle, except for the sons who lost their mother and a princess who lost her life. John Anderson, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2021 People who are too cowardly to put their names behind their allegations are hiding in the shadows, using the anonymity of dark money laws to try to raise doubts in the minds of voters by spreading inflammatory charges that amount to piffle. cleveland, 12 Sep. 2021 The fact that all those involved in discussing this question have heads full of tosh and piffle does not make for productive debates. Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2020
Verb
And what The New Yorker saw happening most of all was Charlie Chaplin, who figures prominently in the magazine’s first year, in contexts ranging from pithy to piffling. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 The Ritz, a smart London hotel where Margaret Thatcher spent her last days, is in fine fettle, turning a neat annual profit and valued in the region of £800m—not bad for a property bought for a piffling £75m in 1995. The Economist, 31 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffle
Noun
  • Seeing her daughter in that state, babbling nonsense and barely able to stand, Letizia had goggled with the watery eyes of a sickly old lady.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • As the latest chapter in the epic British-American poem known as Fleetwood Mac,Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are back to tolerating each other’s nonsense in a sexy way.
    Devon Ivie, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • That the film can’t see this is a sign of how muddled its politics are, especially in its treatment of the tension between nature and modernity.
    Caspar Salmon, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Not everything can be exclusively grand monsteras and glossy ferns; most artworks come muddled with the tat of mirrors and whirligigs, too.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Marcy had her hair tied up with a bow made from nylon cord and was bent over a fold-up kitchen counter rearranging wet garbage.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Polls show Farage is still likely to win, but that Count Binface — a spoof candidate who wears a garbage pail on his head — may get around 20-percent of the vote.
    Lauren Frayer, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Hen of the woods are said to resemble a chicken with its feathers fluffed up, hence the nickname.
    Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In the living room, Mock recommends folding blankets, fluffing pillows, and returning any items that have accrued in the space to their rightful homes.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 25 July 2026
Noun
  • This comes at the expense of no movement in the wrist, but to be fair, having the lightsaber pointed in any other direction would look rubbish.
    Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Only construction waste will be accepted at the landfill such as, brush and rubbish, concrete, brick, rock, wood, paper, plastics, cardboard and roofing shingles and tiles.
    Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Coincidentally, Johnson found himself in the doghouse last year after a special-teams blunder, while Homer is an ace on those units.
    Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • On Monday, the first day of the trial in which Basabe is representing himself without an attorney, the proceedings were shaded by Basabe’s blundering legal missteps and procedural chaos.
    Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Noun
  • The play’s Bohemian rhapsody is as full of light and life and silliness as its time in Sicilia is wrenching.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Back on the main stage, Mumford also stripped away the silliness and sarcasm.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Why someone would want a plush Javert, even in bear form, boggles the mind.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 30 July 2026
  • Just thinking about how much true, false, and plain crazy stuff has been written about you boggles the mind.
    Bryan West, USA Today, 12 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Piffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffle. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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