1
as in lover
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
he's such a film buff that he owns over 3,000 movies
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nude
the state of having no clothes on one's body
protected by a fully enclosed backyard, the couple would frequently sunbathe in the buff
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction
she learned to buff semiprecious stones in order to make her own jewelry
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to polish
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
the janitor buffed the lobby floor until it shone
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of buff
Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
History buffs should follow the online walking tour map created by the Alachua County Historical Commission and the Alachua County Tour Service in 1986.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 11 May 2026
History buffs flock to America’s oldest city for a glimpse into the past.
—Lisa A. Beach, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for buff
Noun
In other circumstances, history (or, at least, classical-music buffs) would remember him as Kapellmeister to the Emperor of Austria, a skilled court composer of some forty operas, and a mentor to Beethoven and Schubert.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
History buffs should follow the online walking tour map created by the Alachua County Historical Commission and the Alachua County Tour Service in 1986.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
Verb
For appliances and fixtures such as faucets, start by sprinkling baking soda onto a damp rag, and buffing the stainless steel gently to clean and brighten.
—Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 11 May 2026
History buffs flock to America’s oldest city for a glimpse into the past.
—Lisa A. Beach, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for buff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buff
Noun
-
The apartment has original hardwood floors, which set the stage for thoughtful modern and vintage furniture; a fiddle leaf fig tree as well as other touches of real plant life on the interior and exterior add to the garden district location to make this stay a plant lover’s haven.—
Erika Owen,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2026
-
Outdoor exercise lovers will want to snap up this $14 skort to stay cool while playing pickleball or going for a walk.—
Madeline Merinuk,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Berry and Mani aren’t the only victims of deepfake nudes.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
22 May 2026
-
The court system will have to sort out the mess here, but there are some tough lessons to be learned from following your heart down a path that leaves you in a spot where nudes are allegedly flying around.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Inoculation involved taking pus from a pock of someone with a not-very-severe case of smallpox, making a cut in the arm of the person to be inoculated, and rubbing the pus into the cut.—
Diana Gitig,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2026
-
And that really rubbed committee members last cycle the wrong way and may have worked against them.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Waldorf was used to seeing Shackelford addressing staff at the front of a conference room, polished in a suit and tie.—
Kavitha Surana,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Another highlight of my visit was experiencing Bastien's Manicure, an in-spa collaboration with nail-care specialists Bastien Gonzalez, which pairs meticulous cuticle work and a thorough massage with a natural nail-polishing technique that eliminates the need for nail polish entirely.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Details such as the relatively few suckers on its arms, its smooth skin, beak features and the coloring around its organs and parts of the mantle indicated a new species, now called Microeledone galapagensis.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
24 May 2026
-
Trimming the suckers, from the first 2 feet above the ground, ensures the plant's energy is focused on the main vines and cucumbers, says Scott.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Penland would eventually flag eighty out of the script’s hundred and twenty pages for material that alarmed him, ranging from nudity to events in the film that are not in the Gospels.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
-
No more camping, or pooping, or nudity on the sidewalks.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
But even slightly sanded down, their work puts other games to shame.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
The denim may have never been worn but it is stonewashed, sanded, chemically faded or laser-treated to look like it.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
If the hummus has separated, blend in a little water and tahini, along with the olive oil and lemon juice, to help smooth it out.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
25 May 2026
-
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans and use an offset spatula to smooth the tops.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buff. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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