Library / English Dictionary

CHAFF

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("chaff" is a kind of...):

foil (a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal)

Derivation:

chaffy (abounding in or covered with or resembling or consisting of chaff)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds

Synonyms:

chaff; husk; shuck; stalk; straw; stubble

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("chaff" is a kind of...):

plant material; plant substance (material derived from plants)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chaff"):

bran (broken husks of the seeds of cereal grains that are separated from the flour by sifting)

Derivation:

chaffy (abounding in or covered with or resembling or consisting of chaff)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be silly or tease one another

Example:

After we relaxed, we just kidded around

Synonyms:

banter; chaff; jolly; josh; kid

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "chaff" is one way to...):

bait; cod; rag; rally; razz; ride; tantalise; tantalize; taunt; tease; twit (harass with persistent criticism or carping)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody

Credits

 Context examples: 

Whenever he encountered a chance shipmate, and there were many in San Francisco, he treated them and was treated in turn, as of old, but he ordered for himself root beer or ginger ale and good-naturedly endured their chaffing.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

A more cheery and hearty set of people could not be imagined, and the chaff flew about as thick as the dust clouds, while at every wayside inn the landlord and the drawers would be out with trays of foam-headed tankards to moisten those importunate throats.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

You may possibly remember that you chaffed me a little, some hours ago, when the sun seemed on your side of the hedge, so you must not grudge me a little pomp and ceremony now.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Two or three times he put his head into the galley and chaffed Mugridge good-naturedly, and once, this afternoon, he stood by the break of the poop and chatted with him for fully fifteen minutes.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A shock of orange hair, a pale face disfigured by a horrible scar, which, by its contraction, has turned up the outer edge of his upper lip, a bulldog chin, and a pair of very penetrating dark eyes, which present a singular contrast to the colour of his hair, all mark him out from amid the common crowd of mendicants and so, too, does his wit, for he is ever ready with a reply to any piece of chaff which may be thrown at him by the passers-by.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

With a sinking heart, filled with pity and admiration for these two gallant men, I longed that every bout might be the last, and yet the Time! was hardly out of Jackson’s mouth before they had both sprung from their second’s knees, with laughter upon their mutilated faces and chaffing words upon their bleeding lips.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)