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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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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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The intrigue: McGuire also teased a new concept for the project's next phase: a 3,500+ seat music venue.—
Kyle Stokes,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
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Editor's Note: Nothing has already teased the Nothing Phone (3a) series, which will arrive on March 4.—
Julian Chokkattu,
WIRED,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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When this verdict spread across the internet, there was one uniting trend: fans on social media couldn’t stop joking and celebrating about the outcome, sparking a deluge of memes about the event.—
Callum Booth,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
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The Atlanta official joked that the graphic must have been sent to him 10 times during the previous five days.—
Adam Crafton,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Starting today, February 12, 2025, Android customers can watch Apple TV+ on their mobile devices — phones, tablets, and foldables, whatever those are (just kidding, this is what those are).—
Tony Maglio,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2025
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Finally, Mack’s precocious 11-year-old daughter Opal (Norah Murphy) is more in tune with adults than kids her age.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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If the leaders of the mob are so minded, coal-oil is poured over the body and the victim is then roasted to death.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
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Lete might be ready to eat C.K. alive for her betrayal, and that time will almost certainly come, but at least she has already been roasted within an inch of her life.—
Laura Bradley,
Vulture,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Lohse even managed to fool historian Jonathan Petropoulos, who is at the center of the documentary, and spent years investigating Lohse, only to be tricked by him.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
20 Feb. 2025
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Was their advocacy for new energy sources just a ploy to fool their constituents and get reelected?—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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