What does "muff" mean?
A piece of fur or cloth, usually with open ends, used for keeping the hands warm.
Muff
/mʌf/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A piece of fur or cloth, usually with open ends, used for keeping the hands warm.
- Grammar: muff is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: fumble, bad job, ball up, ballock.
- Useful contrasts: accomplishing, amplifier, amplify.
- Usage evidence: Selwyn, sitting up rumpled and cross-legged on the floor, after having boloed Drina to everybody's exquisite satisfaction, looked around at the sudden rustle of skirts to catch a glimpse of a vanishing figure—a glimmer of ruddy hair and the white curve of a youthful face, half-buried in a muff.
How to use "muff"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "muff" 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 "muff" 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 "muff" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "muff" 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 "muff" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "fumble" 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 "muff", 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 A piece of fur or cloth, usually with open ends, used for keeping the hands warm. historical
"Selwyn, sitting up rumpled and cross-legged on the floor, after having boloed Drina to everybody's exquisite satisfaction, looked around at the sudden rustle of skirts to catch a glimpse of a vanishing figure—a glimmer of ruddy hair and the white curve of a youthful face, half-buried in a muff."
- 2 A fool, a stupid or poor-spirited person. colloquial
"Can you fancy that such an old creature (an old muff, as you call him, you wicked, satirical man!) could ever make en impression on my heart?"
- 3 A muffin. slang
"Skinny lattes and a couple of blueberry muffs."
- 4 (sports) dropping the ball wordnet
- 5 The vulva or vagina; pubic hair around it. slang, vulgar
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Show 7 more definitions
- 6 An error, a mistake; a failure to hold a ball when once in the hands. slang
- 7 a warm tubular covering for the hands wordnet
- 8 A woman or girl. slang, vulgar
- 9 A bird, the whitethroat.
- 10 A blown cylinder of glass which is afterward flattened out to make a sheet.
- 11 The feathers sticking out from both sides of the face under the beak of some birds.
- 12 A short hollow cylinder surrounding an object such as a pipe.
Verb
- 1 To drop or mishandle (the ball, a catch etc.); to play badly.
- 2 make a mess of, destroy or ruin wordnet
- 3 To mishandle; to bungle.
"But then, supposing this was the real sign? … They had muffed three already; they daren’t muff the fourth."
- 4 fail to catch, as of a ball wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A village in County Donegal, Ireland.
- 3 A diminutive of the female given name Myfanwy.
- 4 An unincorporated community in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Selwyn, sitting up rumpled and cross-legged on the floor, after having boloed Drina to everybody's exquisite satisfaction, looked around at the sudden rustle of skirts to catch a glimpse of a vanishing figure—a glimmer of ruddy hair and the white curve of a youthful face, half-buried in a muff."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "muff"?
Common synonyms include: fumble, bad job, ball up, ballock, be all thumbs, beard.
How do you use "muff" in a sentence?
Selwyn, sitting up rumpled and cross-legged on the floor, after having boloed Drina to everybody's exquisite satisfaction, looked around at the sudden rustle of skirts to catch a glimpse of a vanishing figure—a glimmer of ruddy hair and the white curve of a youthful face, half-buried in a muff.
How do you pronounce "muff"?
Pronounced /mʌf/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Probably from Dutch mof (“muff, mitten”).
Etymology 2
Unknown; perhaps a specialised use of Etymology 1, above; or perhaps related to Dutch muffen (“to dote”) and German muffen (“to sulk”).
Etymology 3
Shortening.
Etymology 4
* As an English surname, variant of Mowe, itself from Middle English maugh (“son-in-law”), from Old Norse mágr. * As a German and Alemannic German surname, from the noun mupf (“drooping mouth”), which is probably ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *mauwu (“protruding mouth, pout”).