Stuff

/stʌf/ noun, verb, slang

noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Miscellaneous items or objects; (with possessive) personal effects.
  • Grammar: stuff is listed as noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: material, abilities, accessories, accomplishments.
  • Useful contrasts: absence, clear, condense.
  • Usage evidence: When I'm at home there's a lot of stuff to do; I don't even have time to watch TV.

How to use "stuff"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stuff" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. 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 "stuff" 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 "stuff" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stuff" 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 "stuff" is acting as 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 "material" 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 "stuff", 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. 1
    Miscellaneous items or objects; (with possessive) personal effects. informal, uncountable, usually

    "What is all that stuff on your bedroom floor?  He didn't want his pockets to bulge so he was walking around with all his stuff in his hands."

  2. 2
    miscellaneous unspecified objects wordnet
  3. 3
    Miscellaneous items or objects; (with possessive) personal effects.; Furniture; goods; domestic vessels or utensils. informal, obsolete, uncountable, usually

    "and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff."

  4. 4
    unspecified qualities required to do or be something wordnet
  5. 5
    Unspecified things or matters. informal, uncountable, usually

    "I had to do some stuff."

Show 16 more definitions
  1. 6
    a critically important or characteristic component wordnet
  2. 7
    The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object. uncountable, usually

    "The workman on his stuff his skill doth show, / And yet the stuff gives not the man his skill."

  3. 8
    senseless talk wordnet
  4. 9
    The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object.; A material for making clothing; any woven textile, but especially a woollen fabric. archaic, uncountable, usually

    "Without waiting for a reply, she unbound the veil from her head, and took off the loose black novice's robe, which she had put over a gray stuff dress similar to that worn by Lucy."

  5. 10
    information in some unspecified form wordnet
  6. 11
    The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object.; Boards used for building. archaic, uncountable, usually
  7. 12
    informal terms for personal possessions wordnet
  8. 13
    The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object.; Abstract/figurative substance or character. uncountable, usually

    "When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; / Ambition should be made of sterner stuff"

  9. 14
    the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object wordnet
  10. 15
    The tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object.; Paper stock ground ready for use. When partly ground, it is called half stuff. uncountable, usually
  11. 16
    Used as placeholder, usually for material of unknown type or name. informal, uncountable, usually

    "Can I have some of that stuff on my ice-cream sundae?"

  12. 17
    Narcotic drugs, especially heroin. slang, uncountable, usually

    "For some idiotic reason the bureaucrats are more opposed to tea than to stuff."

  13. 18
    A medicine or mixture; a potion. obsolete, uncountable, usually

    "I[…]did compound for her / A certaine ſtuffe, which being tane, would ceaſe / The preſent powre of life[…]."

  14. 19
    Refuse or worthless matter; hence, also, foolish or irrational language. euphemistic, sometimes, uncountable, usually

    "Don't give me any of that 'what-about' stuff!"

  15. 20
    A melted mass of turpentine, tallow, etc., with which the masts, sides, and bottom of a ship are smeared for lubrication. uncountable, usually

    "The master, at my earnest solicitation, examined his vessel, and though he prefers the coal tar, yet he told me, there were shells sticking on, and that a very thin coat of stuff, if any, remained."

  16. 21
    Money. dated, slang, uncountable, usually
Verb
  1. 1
    To fill by packing or crowding something into; to cram with something; to load to excess. transitive

    "I'm going to stuff this pillow with feathers."

  2. 2
    fill with a stuffing while cooking wordnet
  3. 3
    To fill a space with (something) in a compressed manner. transitive

    "He stuffed his clothes into the closet and shut the door."

  4. 4
    fill tightly with a material wordnet
  5. 5
    To fill with seasoning. transitive

    "She stuffed the turkey for Thanksgiving using her secret recipe."

Show 18 more definitions
  1. 6
    treat with grease, fill, and prepare for mounting wordnet
  2. 7
    To load goods into (a container) for transport. transitive
  3. 8
    overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself wordnet
  4. 9
    To sate. transitive

    "I’m stuffed after having eaten all that turkey, mashed potatoes and delicious stuffing."

  5. 10
    obstruct wordnet
  6. 11
    To eat, especially in a hearty or greedy manner. pronominal

    "She sits on the sofa all day, watching TV and stuffing herself with cream buns."

  7. 12
    cram into a cavity wordnet
  8. 13
    To break; to destroy. Australia, British, New-Zealand, transitive

    "He skidded off the road and totally stuffed his brand new car."

  9. 14
    press or force wordnet
  10. 15
    To sexually penetrate. Australia, British, New-Zealand, transitive, vulgar

    "His wife came home early and found him on the couch stuffing the maid."

  11. 16
    Used to contemptuously dismiss or reject something. See also stuff it. imperative, mildly, often, transitive, vulgar

    "Stuff your stupid rules, I'll do what I like."

  12. 17
    To heavily defeat or get the better of. informal

    "Mudchester Rovers were stuffed 7–0 in the semi-final."

  13. 18
    To cut off another competitor in a race by disturbing his projected and committed racing line (trajectory) by an abrupt manoeuvre. transitive

    "I got stuffed by that guy on the supermoto going into that turn, almost causing us to crash."

  14. 19
    To preserve a dead bird or other animal by filling its skin.

    "KANG: When I take this ship, I'll have Kirk's head stuffed and hung on his cabin wall. // MARA: They will kill us before we can act. // KANG: No, they wish to question us, learn our strength, our plans. They never will. // MARA: We are forty against four hundred. // KLINGON: Four thousand throats may be cut in one night by a running man. // KANG: Patience. Vigilance. They will make a mistake. Capture of the Enterprise will give us knowledge to end this war quickly."

  15. 20
    To obstruct, as any of the organs; to affect with some obstruction in the organs of sense or respiration. transitive

    "I'm stuffed, cousin; I cannot smell."

  16. 21
    To form or fashion by packing with the necessary material. transitive

    "An Eastern king put a judge to death for an iniquitous sentence, and ordered his hide to be stuffed into a cushion, and placed upon the tribunal."

  17. 22
    To crowd with facts; to cram the mind of; sometimes, to crowd or fill with false or idle tales or fancies. dated, transitive
  18. 23
    To compress (a file or files) in the StuffIt format, to be unstuffed later. transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
materialabilitiesaccessoriesaccomplishmentsaddictive drugair

Example

"When I'm at home there's a lot of stuff to do; I don't even have time to watch TV."

Common questions

What does "stuff" mean?

Miscellaneous items or objects; (with possessive) personal effects.

What is a synonym for "stuff"?

Common synonyms include: material, abilities, accessories, accomplishments, addictive drug, air.

How do you use "stuff" in a sentence?

When I'm at home there's a lot of stuff to do; I don't even have time to watch TV.

How do you pronounce "stuff"?

Pronounced /stʌf/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English stuf, stuffe, borrowed from Medieval Latin stuffa and its etymon Old French estofe, estoffe, estuf, estuffe, stoffe, from estoffer, estofer (“to provide what is necessary, equip, stuff”), borrowed from Old High German stoffōn, from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn (“to clog up, block, fill”). More at stop.

Etymology 2

From Middle English stuffen (“to equip, furnish”), borrowed from Old French estoffer, estofer (“to provide what is necessary, equip, stuff”), borrowed from Old High German stoffōn, from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn (“to clog up, block, fill”). More at stop.

More for "stuff"

Synonyms

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