Illustration of ruff
- ruff 1
variants
or ruffe
: a small freshwater European perch (Gynocephalus cernua synonym Acerina cernua)
1
: a large round collar of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women of the late 16th and early 17th centuries
2
: a fringe or frill of long hairs or feathers growing around or on the neck of an animal
3
: a common Eurasian sandpiper (Calidris pugnax synonym Philomachus pugnax) whose male during the breeding season has a large ruff of erectile feathers on the neck
ruffed; ruffing; ruffs
: to take a trick with a trump
: to play a trump on (a card previously led or played)
: the act of trumping
Examples of ruff in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Layers of gauzy chiffon were cinched with bustiers and ruffs were made from shredded newspaper.
—Violet Goldstone, WWD, 4 Nov. 2024
Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
If East-West had followed, Cy would have drawn trumps, cashed the K-A of clubs and ruffed his last club in dummy for 10 sure tricks.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruff 
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Noun
East wins, returns his last club and ruffs the third club.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Layers of gauzy chiffon were cinched with bustiers and ruffs were made from shredded newspaper.
—Violet Goldstone, WWD, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
When Louie led high diamonds, hoping to pitch his club loser, West ruffed the third diamond and led a club to East.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
If East-West had followed, Cy would have drawn trumps, cashed the K-A of clubs and ruffed his last club in dummy for 10 sure tricks.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruff
Dictionary Entries Near ruff
Cite this Entry
“Ruff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruff. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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