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
  • In the eyes of the conferences, and CFP committee, the allure of a postseason bid is the carrot that would dangle in front of them so that fans would look the other way at the nonsense this creates for the football played in September or October.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • My fellow relishers of Trowbridge nonsense, today is our day of jubilee.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The all-or-nothing nature of sports gets muddled with asterisks and different permutations.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
  • When the deck is muddled, the thinking behind it usually is too.
    — Andrei Grachev, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Prosecutors said Aurora was one of seven children, ages 2 months to 17 years, who lived in an east San José house on Lancelot Lane that was filled with cockroaches, pet feces, garbage and mold.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Clean your car full of garbage elsewhere and don’t hold up a line of customers.
    — Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Rangel fluffed Reyna’s cross that led to Hall’s opening goal.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Use dryer balls or tennis balls to fluff and evenly dry your duvet after washing.
    — Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Twisted Teens are far from rubbish, but that isn't stopping them from playing in the trash for their latest music video.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • And while there wasn’t as big of a return for the rest of the afternoon, the Dolphins appear good for at least one special teams blunder a game.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
  • In fact, both Gemma and Alice repeatedly blunder through their interactions.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • This was in response to the Heat letting loose with a whole lot of abject silliness during Tuesday’s intrasquad scrimmage, which actually is the perfect time for such antics.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In their place is a broader vision of internet silliness that can mock everything from tech bros and political extremists to new age spirituality grifters and how-to videos.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The scope and ingenuity of scrying continually boggle the mind.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Hamaguchi told Deadline that the team painstakingly cemented Vincent and Yuffie into irrevocable mainstays while also giving Zack (not available in my preview) an increasingly important role in the trilogy’s larger time-boggling mystery.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Piffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffle. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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