as in debris
discarded or useless material
there's a lot of chaff in this book, and the reader should be on the alert for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in laugh
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
I got no end of chaff about my accent when I was in the military
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to tease
to make fun of in a good-natured way
chaffed her about the brightly colored shirt she had received as a gift
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of chaff
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
This dynamic—in which markets lowball ambitious movies, and streaming platforms ply audiences with algorithmic chaff—leaves little room for both enthusiasm and good-faith challenges.
—Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024
Chaff flower will be used instead of Japanese chaff flower to refer to Achyranthese japonica, an invasive floodplain plant not known to be present in Michigan.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 30 July 2024
Drinkers then sit around an open pot of beer and drink it through straws that filter out the barley seeds and chaff.
—Steve Hindy, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2015
See all Example Sentences for chaff 
Noun
The challenge is in discerning the wheat from the chaff.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
This dynamic—in which markets lowball ambitious movies, and streaming platforms ply audiences with algorithmic chaff—leaves little room for both enthusiasm and good-faith challenges.
—Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024
Chaff flower will be used instead of Japanese chaff flower to refer to Achyranthese japonica, an invasive floodplain plant not known to be present in Michigan.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 30 July 2024
Drinkers then sit around an open pot of beer and drink it through straws that filter out the barley seeds and chaff.
—Steve Hindy, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2015
See all Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Verb
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Though Evans comforted Bunny in person, Hot Ones made sure to tease him a little bit in post-production.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
23 Jan. 2025
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Activision teases five new multiplayer maps being added to Black Ops 6 in the upcoming season, with two of them coming a few weeks after the update.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Anyone who wants continued access to the app could move to another country, a creator joked in a video posted to the platform.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN,
13 Jan. 2025
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This jubilance, and appreciation for Messam’s work was documented on Good Morning America, where the actor joked with Robin Roberts about taking the role in order to wear the armor.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Reid wasn’t kidding, because ice can be a bear to remove.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
9 Jan. 2025
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There is a sense that, while nobody is kidding themselves that all of those players aren’t there for the money, Neymar hasn’t bought into the Saudi project — publicly at least — as much as others.—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Neighbors has been roasting beans for about a year with the help of another couple who will help run the shop, Jordan and Sam Weaver.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
17 Jan. 2025
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Bananas, Josh, and other cast members then roast Cory for needing daily check-ins to confirm alliances and deals.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
EW.com,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The attackers disguise themselves as fake Google Ads login pages to fool advertisers, who are then phished for their account credentials.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
16 Jan. 2025
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However, others have questioned how she was so easily fooled.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near chaff
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
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