What does "tuft" mean?
A bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held together at the base.
Tuft
/tʌft/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held together at the base.
- Grammar: tuft is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: tussock, aigrette, bang, bangs.
- Useful contrasts: disperse, even spread, flat surface.
- Usage evidence: A tuft of hair showed from underneath her cap.
How to use "tuft"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tuft" 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 "tuft" 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 "tuft" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tuft" 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 "tuft" is acting as name, 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 "tussock" 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 "tuft", 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 bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held together at the base.
- 2 a bunch of feathers or hair wordnet
- 3 A cluster of threads drawn tightly through upholstery, a mattress or a quilt, etc., to secure and strengthen the padding.
- 4 a bunch of hair or feathers or growing grass wordnet
- 5 A small clump of trees or bushes.
"“Not far from this place, there is a tuft of about a dozen of tall beeches […].”"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A gold tassel on the cap worn by titled undergraduates at English universities. historical
- 7 A person entitled to wear such a tassel. historical
"A college tutor, or a nobleman’s toady, who appears one fine day as my right reverend lord, in a silk apron and a shovel-hat, and assumes benedictory airs over me, is still the same man we remember at Oxbridge, when he was truckling to the tufts, and bullying the poor undergraduates in the lecture-room."
Verb
- 1 To provide or decorate with a tuft or tufts. transitive
"His tufted cottage rising through the snow"
- 2 To form into tufts. transitive
- 3 To secure and strengthen (a mattress, quilt, etc.) with tufts. This hinders the stuffing from moving. transitive
"They're never gonna get that Ottoman tufted in time!"
- 4 To be formed into tufts. intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"A tuft of hair showed from underneath her cap."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tuft"?
Common synonyms include: tussock, aigrette, bang, bangs, batch, beard.
How do you use "tuft" in a sentence?
A tuft of hair showed from underneath her cap.
How do you pronounce "tuft"?
Pronounced /tʌft/.
Etymology
From Middle English tuft, toft, tofte, an alteration of earlier *tuffe (> Modern English tuff), from Old French touffe, tuffe, toffe, tofe (“tuft”) (modern French touffe), from Late Latin tufa (“helmet crest”) (near Vegezio). Compare Old English þūf (“tuft”), Old Norse þúfa (“mound”), Swedish tuva (“tussock; grassy hillock”), Swedish tova (“tangled knot”), Swedish tofs (“tuft, tassel”), from Proto-Germanic *þūbǭ (“tube”), *þūbaz; akin to Latin tūber (“hump, swelling”), Ancient Greek τῡ́φη (tū́phē, “cattail (used to stuff beds)”).