chaff 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈchaf How to pronounce chaff (audio)
Definition of chaffnext
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

chaff

2 of 3

noun (2)

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

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chaff

3 of 3

verb

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

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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

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 chaff
Noun
Turn on the fan, and the moving air will blow away the lighter chaff. — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026 An interesting life and lots of history here, but Kaplan was unable to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff, to my dismay. — The Know, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026 The grain, straw, and chaff of fonio are used as fodder for ruminant animals. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Mar. 2026 In these latest cuts, some of the other firings were in sales, recruiting, and Facebook, signaling that Zuckerberg is separating the chaff in non-AI related units beyond its flailing Metaverse division. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
  1. debris
  2. laugh
  3. tease
  4. joke
  5. garbage
  6. banter
  7. kid
  8. fool
Noun
  • Hours after the collapse in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, emergency services spokesperson Bilal Faizi said that everyone trapped beneath the rubble had been pulled out and crews had cleared debris.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The hurricane had headed for the interior and Palm Beach was already clearing its debris.
    — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of debris
Noun
  • But acknowledging a property’s cheesy elements isn’t the same as generating consistent laughs from the situation.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Among the biggest laughs of the ceremony came during Friml’s take on an awards-show in memoriam.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of laugh
Verb
  • When appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, the Canadian pop singer teased the single.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Mahomes began teasing the collection last week with several posts on her Instagram.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of tease
Verb
  • Lumen’s Kate Johnson and EY’s Janet Truncale joked about their first meeting at the Business Roundtable.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • While the photos were convincing and viral memes joked about the concept of putting lip gloss on a boot, a quick Google search verifies that the collaboration isn’t real.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of joke
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
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • The director, Sanchez, deftly leads the effort with invisible but subtly effective staging, ensuring that the family banter propels the flow.
    — Bill Hirschman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The pace of the Sorkinian banter is meaningful beyond its showiness.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of banter
Verb
  • But kidding aside, AI used in the right way can make people smarter about their health, more so than most realize.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Pursuing big goals while parenting shows kids the value of hard work and resilience.
    — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of kid
Verb
  • As temperatures drop in the fall, aphids, like other garden pests, are less active, but don’t be fooled by appearances.
    — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Don’t be fooled by the big numbers that these guys throw around in their ballots.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

chafes
chaff
chaffed
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Cite this Entry

“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on chaff

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chaff

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