What does "faff" mean?

An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time.

What is a synonym for "faff"?

Common synonyms include: annoyance, arse around, arse around, bother, dally, dawdle.

//fæf// noun, verb, slang

noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, slang
"Adjusting this television is a bit of a faff."
2
A state of confused or frantic activity.
"She's in a total faff about tonight's dinner party."

Verb

1
To waste time on an unproductive activity. Australia, British, Ireland, New-Zealand
"Stop Faffing And Just Do It"

"Adjusting this television is a bit of a faff."

From a dialect word meaning "blow in gusts".

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.