What does "chaff" mean?
The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.
Chaff
/t͡ʃæf/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.
- Grammar: chaff is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: husk, afterglow, afterimage, air.
- Useful contrasts: clear return, combine, compliment.
- Usage evidence: The boss said this group is a real mixed bag. I wonder if he places me with the wheat or the chaff.
How to use "chaff"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chaff" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chaff" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chaff" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chaff" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chaff" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "husk" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chaff", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant. uncountable, usually
"To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff."
- 2 foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure wordnet
- 3 Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle. uncountable, usually
"By adding chaff to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it, and time is given for the commencement of digestion, before fermentation can occur. In this way chaff is very useful, especially after long fasts."
- 4 material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds wordnet
- 5 Any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless. figuratively, uncountable, usually
"the chaff and ruin of the times"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Light jesting talk; banter; raillery. uncountable, usually
"As for Huxter, perfectly at good-humour with himself, and the world, it never entered his mind that he could be disagreeable to anybody; and the little dispute, or “chaff,” as he styled it, of Vauxhall, was a trifle which he did not in the least regard."
- 7 Loose material, e.g. small strips of aluminum foil dropped from aircraft, intended to interfere with radar detection. uncountable, usually
Verb
- 1 To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter. intransitive
- 2 be silly or tease one another wordnet
- 3 To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language. transitive
"We were talking about it at mess, yesterday, and chaffing Derby Oaks—until he was as mad as a hatter."
- 4 To cut up (straw or hay) for use as cattle feed. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The boss said this group is a real mixed bag. I wonder if he places me with the wheat or the chaff."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chaff"?
Common synonyms include: husk, afterglow, afterimage, air, aluminum foil, badinage.
How do you use "chaff" in a sentence?
The boss said this group is a real mixed bag. I wonder if he places me with the wheat or the chaff.
How do you pronounce "chaff"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃæf/.
Etymology
From Middle English chaf, from Old English ċeaf, from Proto-West Germanic *kaf. Cognate with Scots caff, Saterland Frisian Sääf, West Frisian tsjêf, Dutch kaf, German Low German Kaff, regional German Kaff.