Raff
name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A disorderly heap; a jumble; a large quantity; lumber; refuse. countable, uncountable
"A raff of errors."
- 2 A three-cornered sail set on a schooner when before the wind.
- 3 The common rabble or mob; riffraff. countable, uncountable
"Jostling with unemployed labourers of the lowest class, ballast-heavers, coal-whippers, brazen women, ragged children, and the raff and refuse of the river, he makes his way with difficulty along […]"
- 4 A low fellow; a churl. countable, uncountable
- 1 To sweep, snatch, draw, or huddle together; to take by a promiscuous sweep.
"Causes and effects which I thus raffe up together."
- 1 A surname.
Example
More examples"Jostling with unemployed labourers of the lowest class, ballast-heavers, coal-whippers, brazen women, ragged children, and the raff and refuse of the river, he makes his way with difficulty along […]"
Etymology
From Middle English raf, from Old French raffer, of Germanic origin; compare German raffen, akin to rap (“to snatch”). Compare riffraff, rip (“to tear”).
Related phrases
More for "raff"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.