as in debris
discarded or useless material
there's a lot of chaff in this book, and the reader should be on the alert for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in laugh
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
I got no end of chaff about my accent when I was in the military
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to tease
to make fun of in a good-natured way
chaffed her about the brightly colored shirt she had received as a gift
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chaff
David Baker, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024
Not wind but a chaff of pollen choking in that whirl.
—David Baker, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024
That’s where Quaker parenting has stepped in for me, providing a simple way to separate the wheat from the child-development chaff.
—Gail Cornwall, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2025
In French air force service, the Mirage 2000-5F flies with a combination of a Serval radar warning receiver, a Sabre jammer and an Eclair chaff and flare dispenser.
—David Axe, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Noun
Not wind but a chaff of pollen choking in that whirl.
—David Baker, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024
Not wind but a chaff of pollen choking in that whirl.
—David Baker, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024
That’s where Quaker parenting has stepped in for me, providing a simple way to separate the wheat from the child-development chaff.
—Gail Cornwall, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2025
In French air force service, the Mirage 2000-5F flies with a combination of a Serval radar warning receiver, a Sabre jammer and an Eclair chaff and flare dispenser.
—David Axe, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Verb
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The trailer also teases a subplot involving a pregnancy between Sue Storm and Reed Richards, possibly hinting at the birth of their son, Franklin Richards, a character with universe-altering powers in Marvel lore.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Fans of the finger food, made with a tortilla-crumb breading, can look forward to having it year-round, as Taco Bell teased plans to make nuggets part of the permanent menu by 2026.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Whalen video used audio of Hemphill joking about the possibility of activists getting arrested for removing the Pride flag.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Apr. 2025
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Several users joked about the situation, with one user posting a photo of the Spotify logo on top of a grave.—
Miranda Nazzaro,
The Hill,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Huang may have been kidding, but Nvidia spent much of its event detailing just how much better its Blackwell chips are.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2025
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After a day on the slopes at Lost Trail, make your way to the tiny town of Jackson, which will make Philipsburg and Anaconda seem like large metropolitan areas (kidding, kinda).—
Will McGough,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But ultimately, the best use of corn is hands down roasting it in a skillet.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2025
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Saturday Night Live didn’t hold back on roasting President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariff plan that sent global stocks plunging this week.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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That attempt was soon fooled by sloppy play in the neutral zone that gave Brad Marchand a short-handed opportunity.—
Nick Ashbourne,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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But don't let the name fool you, Murderbot isn't actually the frightening story of a dangerous security robot.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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