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
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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
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of chaff
Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024
Chaff flower will be used instead of Japanese chaff flower to refer to Achyranthese japonica, an invasive floodplain plant not known to be present in Michigan.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 30 July 2024
Drinkers then sit around an open pot of beer and drink it through straws that filter out the barley seeds and chaff.
—Steve Hindy, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2015
But as more companies rebrand anything involving algorithms as AI, how are we meant to separate the chaff from the wheat?
—Emilia David, The Verge, 13 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaff 
Noun
This dynamic—in which markets lowball ambitious movies, and streaming platforms ply audiences with algorithmic chaff—leaves little room for both enthusiasm and good-faith challenges.
—Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024
Chaff flower will be used instead of Japanese chaff flower to refer to Achyranthese japonica, an invasive floodplain plant not known to be present in Michigan.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 30 July 2024
Drinkers then sit around an open pot of beer and drink it through straws that filter out the barley seeds and chaff.
—Steve Hindy, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2015
But as more companies rebrand anything involving algorithms as AI, how are we meant to separate the chaff from the wheat?
—Emilia David, The Verge, 13 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Verb
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For example, major music festivals keep fans engaged by leveraging social media and email campaigns to tease future lineups, share behind-the-scenes content, and host exclusive giveaways leading up to the event.Blake Patterson, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
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Courtesy of Google At last year’s Google I/O, Google teased smart glasses that could caption real-world conversations, a feature that's helpful for people with hearing loss.Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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As for Trump’s plans for mass deportations, Rock joked about how the Menendez brothers’ potential release may be ill-timed.William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 2024
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Frank Costa, a digital creator, on Thursday joked that Mangione would be a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race, a reality show beloved by many within the gay community.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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This might mean developing a detailed operations manual or even cloning yourself (just kidding, but hiring a great team is almost the same thing).Teja Chekuri, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
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Read: Israel and Hamas are kidding themselves By contrast, the Israeli military and public were eager to end the war with Hezbollah, especially on advantageous terms.Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Kids can fish, kayak, or splash in the river to their heart’s content then wind down in the evening around the communal fire pit roasting s’mores and telling ghost stories just like the good ol’ days.Esther Carlstone, Parents, 18 Dec. 2024
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Get The Recipe 08 of 24 Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole This sweet potato casserole is bursting with rich, comforting flavors—cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter—while staying perfectly tender and holding its shape without the need for boiling or roasting the potatoes in advance.Macie Stump, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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That rough rollout inspired immediate push-back and criticism from activists, some of which attached traffic cones to the hoods of cars to fool Cruise sensors and immobilize them.Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 11 Dec. 2024
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Don't be fooled into thinking a nice hotel is less likely to have bedbugs.Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near chaff
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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