Library / English Dictionary

RUFFLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A noisy fight

Synonyms:

affray; disturbance; fray; ruffle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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

combat; fight; fighting; scrap (the act of fighting; any contest or struggle)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A high tight collar

Synonyms:

choker; neck ruff; ruff; ruffle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

collar; neckband (a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over)

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

fraise (a ruff for the neck worn in the 16th century)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim

Synonyms:

flounce; frill; furbelow; ruffle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

adornment (a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness)

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

gauffer; goffer (an ornamental frill made by pressing pleats)

jabot (a ruffle on the front of a woman's blouse or a man's shirt)

peplum (a flared ruffle attached to the waistline of a dress or jacket or blouse)

Derivation:

ruffle (pleat or gather into a ruffle)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Pleat or gather into a ruffle

Example:

ruffle the curtain fabric

Synonyms:

pleat; ruffle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

fold; fold up; turn up (bend or lay so that one part covers the other)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

ruffle (a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Disturb the smoothness of

Example:

ruffle the surface of the water

Synonyms:

mess up; ruffle; ruffle up; rumple

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

disarrange (destroy the arrangement or order of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Erect or fluff up

Example:

the bird ruffled its feathers

Synonyms:

fluff; ruffle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

loosen (make less dense)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Mix so as to make a random order or arrangement

Example:

shuffle the cards

Synonyms:

mix; ruffle; shuffle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

manipulate (hold something in one's hands and move it)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "ruffle"):

reshuffle (shuffle again)

riffle (shuffle (playing cards) by separating the deck into two parts and riffling with the thumbs so the cards intermix)

cut (divide a deck of cards at random into two parts to make selection difficult)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Twitch or flutter

Example:

the paper flicked

Synonyms:

flick; riffle; ruffle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Trouble or vex

Example:

ruffle somebody's composure

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

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

annoy; bother; chafe; devil; get at; get to; gravel; irritate; nark; nettle; rag; rile; vex (cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to ruffle Sue

Sense 7

Meaning:

Discompose

Example:

She has a way of ruffling feathers among her colleagues

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

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

fluster (cause to be nervous or upset)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 8

Meaning:

To walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others

Example:

He struts around like a rooster in a hen house

Synonyms:

cock; prance; ruffle; sashay; strut; swagger; tittup

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

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

walk (use one's feet to advance; advance by steps)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 9

Meaning:

Stir up (water) so as to form ripples

Synonyms:

cockle; riffle; ripple; ruffle; undulate

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

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

flow; flux (move or progress freely as if in a stream)

"Ruffle" entails doing...:

fold; fold up; turn up (bend or lay so that one part covers the other)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

A sneer, however, whether covert or open, had now no longer that power over me it once possessed: as I sat between my cousins, I was surprised to find how easy I felt under the total neglect of the one and the semi- sarcastic attentions of the other—Eliza did not mortify, nor Georgiana ruffle me.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

His temper is not happy, and something has now occurred to ruffle it in an uncommon degree; some disappointment, some vexation, which just at this moment seems important, but which I can hardly suppose you to have any concern in, for how is it possible?

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

When at last his ruffled feelings were at ease, he addressed us at some length from his seat upon a fallen tree, speaking, as his habit was, as if he were imparting most precious information to a class of a thousand.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The wind, which had hitherto carried us along with amazing rapidity, sank at sunset to a light breeze; the soft air just ruffled the water and caused a pleasant motion among the trees as we approached the shore, from which it wafted the most delightful scent of flowers and hay.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

There were milkmaids and shepherdesses, with brightly colored bodices and golden spots all over their gowns; and princesses with most gorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple; and shepherds dressed in knee breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes down them, and golden buckles on their shoes; and princes with jeweled crowns upon their heads, wearing ermine robes and satin doublets; and funny clowns in ruffled gowns, with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall, pointed caps. And, strangest of all, these people were all made of china, even to their clothes, and were so small that the tallest of them was no higher than Dorothy's knee.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

“And the ruffled wing,” added Hordle John.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“But I had rather see you with the King’s blue coat upon your back than with all these frills and ruffles.”

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

For an hour he droned away upon his violin, endeavouring to soothe his own ruffled spirits.

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

In a breath, the river that flows through our Sunday walks is sparkling in the summer sun, is ruffled by the winter wind, or thickened with drifting heaps of ice.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Shrouded in a thick veil and armed with a genteel traveling basket, she departed, feeling that a cool drive would soothe her ruffled spirit and fit her for the labors of the day.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)