What does "ruffle" mean?
Any gathered or curled strip of fabric added as trim or decoration.
Ruffle
/ˈɹʌfəl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any gathered or curled strip of fabric added as trim or decoration.
- Grammar: ruffle is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: disturbance, flounce, frill, abrade.
- Useful contrasts: calm, composure, flatten.
- Usage evidence: Tom is not afraid to ruffle some feathers.
How to use "ruffle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ruffle" 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 "ruffle" 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 "ruffle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ruffle" 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 "ruffle" 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 "disturbance" 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 "ruffle", 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 Any gathered or curled strip of fabric added as trim or decoration.
"She loved the dress with the lace ruffle at the hem."
- 2 a noisy fight wordnet
- 3 Disturbance; agitation; commotion.
"to put the mind in a ruffle"
- 4 a high tight collar wordnet
- 5 A low, vibrating beat of a drum, quieter than a roll; a ruff.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim wordnet
- 7 The connected series of large egg capsules, or oothecae, of several species of American marine gastropods of the genus Fulgur.
Verb
- 1 To make a ruffle in; to curl or flute, as an edge of fabric. transitive
"Ruffle the end of the cuff."
- 2 pleat or gather into a ruffle wordnet
- 3 To disturb; especially, to cause to flutter. transitive
"The wind ruffled the papers."
- 4 disturb the smoothness of wordnet
- 5 To grow rough, boisterous, or turbulent. intransitive
"The night comes on, and the bleak winds / Do sorely ruffle."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 erect or fluff up wordnet
- 7 To become disordered; to play loosely; to flutter. intransitive
"On his right shoulder his thick mane ', / Ruffles at speed, and dances in the wind."
- 8 mix so as to make a random order or arrangement wordnet
- 9 To be rough; to jar; to be in contention; hence, to put on airs; to swagger. intransitive
"They would ruffle with jurors."
- 10 twitch or flutter wordnet
- 11 To make into a ruff; to draw or contract into puckers, plaits, or folds; to wrinkle.
- 12 trouble or vex wordnet
- 13 To erect in a ruff, as feathers.
"[T]he barge with oar and sail / Moved from the brink, like some full-breasted swan / That, fluting a wild carol ere her death, / Ruffles her pure cold plume, and takes the flood / With swarthy webs."
- 14 discompose wordnet
- 15 To beat with the ruff or ruffle, as a drum.
- 16 to walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others wordnet
- 17 To throw together in a disorderly manner.
"Within a thicket I reposed; when round / I ruffled up fall'n leaves in heap; and found, / Let fall from heaven, a sleep interminate."
- 18 stir up (water) so as to form ripples wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Tom is not afraid to ruffle some feathers."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ruffle"?
Common synonyms include: disturbance, flounce, frill, abrade, addle, addle the wits.
How do you use "ruffle" in a sentence?
Tom is not afraid to ruffle some feathers.
How do you pronounce "ruffle"?
Pronounced /ˈɹʌfəl/.
Etymology
From Middle English ruffelen, perhaps from Old Norse hrufla (“to graze, scratch”) or Middle Low German ruffelen (“to wrinkle, curl”). Further origin unknown. Related to Middle Dutch ruyffelen, German Low German ruffeln. See English ruff.