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
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chaff
Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
In Figure 2, after the corn stalks are plucked, the cobs are separated and the chaff pulverized.
—Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
That makes the task of sorting wheat from chaff much more time-consuming for editors and referees, and also more technically difficult.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Eventually, at the supercomputer facilities of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Germany, algorithms designed to spot RFI sorted the wheat from the chaff, reducing those 12 billion to 1 million, then 1,000.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Noun
Compared with the seeds of almost every other plant, grass seed is highly palatable, especially for a dexterous ape whose hands can slough off the chaff.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
In Figure 2, after the corn stalks are plucked, the cobs are separated and the chaff pulverized.
—Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
That makes the task of sorting wheat from chaff much more time-consuming for editors and referees, and also more technically difficult.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Eventually, at the supercomputer facilities of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Germany, algorithms designed to spot RFI sorted the wheat from the chaff, reducing those 12 billion to 1 million, then 1,000.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Noun
-
Additional footage appeared to show debris floating in the aftermath of the strike.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
And an apartment building and a fitness center in the capital were also damaged by falling debris, TASS reported.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
Noun
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The fallout of that inquiry—to which Joe and Angela gamely acquiesce—generates its share of laughs, though our amusement comes at a cost.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
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There are definitely laughs in Maddie’s Secret, but the point of the movie is almost to get beyond them, to the place where naive hokum could yield moments of inexplicable resonance.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
As Akanji whipped in a teasing delivery from the right, Embolo headed the ball down.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
-
Images from 2004 show the sisters hiding their low ponytails under buttoned jackets and fur collars; the tops of their heads teased.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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White joked that Cunningham, who missed last week’s win over the Chicago Sky, should have gotten the PRP shot sooner.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer remained confident in the turf at the stadium and joked how World Cup participants don’t get the full experience of the stadium without the glare.—
Cal Phillips
June 17,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Every campsite has a bear-resistant food locker, and visitors are being reminded to store food, garbage and other attractants properly.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
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While the Doral incinerator used to burn about half of the county’s daily trash supply, Miami-Dade is now using trucks and trains to send its garbage to landfills across Florida.—
Douglas Hanks
June 11,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
The beer is flowing and there’s been some friendly banter between the two sides.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
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Before the gaggle of girls swarms her apartment, there’s a sweet moment when Steve drops his daughter off early, and the two divorcees engage in some flirty banter over pizza prep.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Though Lee likes to kid, his respect for Clemens runs deep.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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The connection to nature at Vista Celestial is truly profound, with wildlife waiting for you at the door—I'm not kidding, at one point, a capuchin monkey walked onto our patio to say hello.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Kurt's key takeaways Rick's story is a tough reminder that scams can look polished enough to fool careful people.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
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Busch wasn’t fooled when San Francisco Giants lefty reliever Erik Miller hung a 1-1 slider over the plate in the fifth inning.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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