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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chaff
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 25 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Noun
Station execs didn’t think much of horror hosts and B-movie chaff.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 25 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Verb
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As OpenAI rolls out Sora to more users, expanding access to additional countries and teasing a potential ChatGPT integration, developers may be incentivized to address issues of bias further.—
Reece Rogers,
WIRED,
23 Mar. 2025
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This year, the star has teased new music, sharing occasional studio photos on Instagram.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Even when joking, maintain a tone that underscores your expertise and deep understanding of the market.—
Paul Boross MBE,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Ducks star Trevor Zegras joked that the unique performance affected his play at the start.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After a day on the slopes at Lost Trail, make your way to the tiny town of Jackson, which will make Philipsburg and Anaconda seem like large metropolitan areas (kidding, kinda).—
Will McGough,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Huang may have been kidding, but Nvidia spent much of its event detailing just how much better its Blackwell chips are.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Continue roasting until radishes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
27 Mar. 2025
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Anxious to fit in, Jim is relieved when Karen playfully roasts his habit of staring at the camera.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Don't let anyone fool you into abandoning the single most effective social program in our nation's history.—
John T. Harvey,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Best deals of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale Dyson V8 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Don’t be fooled by this vacuum cleaner’s lightweight design.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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