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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of chaff
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for chaff 
Noun
The challenge is in discerning the wheat from the chaff.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Verb
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On Saturday night, Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant teased an appearance in the dunk contest while also challenging high flyers and stars Nuggets' Aaron Gordon and Kings' Zach LaVine.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
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Leighton, who played Sydney Andrews in the show, also teased what viewers could expect from the new series.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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When this verdict spread across the internet, there was one uniting trend: fans on social media couldn’t stop joking and celebrating about the outcome, sparking a deluge of memes about the event.—
Callum Booth,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
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The Atlanta official joked that the graphic must have been sent to him 10 times during the previous five days.—
Adam Crafton,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Finally, Mack’s precocious 11-year-old daughter Opal (Norah Murphy) is more in tune with adults than kids her age.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2025
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Every human being, every parent, wants what’s best for their kid and wants there kid to be better than them.—
J.M. Banks,
Kansas City Star,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Richmond rides or dies for coffee shops that roast their own beans.—
Sabrina Moreno,
Axios,
7 Feb. 2025
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Virginia Heffernan The Best Coffee Subscriptions to Keep You Wired These services deliver freshly roasted, delicious coffee picks right to your door—each with its own twist.—
Chris Haslam,
WIRED,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Don’t be fooled by its cheery name: Happy Face looks haunting.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
27 Jan. 2025
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However, phishing is platform-agnostic, relying on fooling you, the user.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
24 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near chaff
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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