CHAFF Synonyms: 139 Similar and Opposite Words

chaff 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈchaf

Definition of chaff

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chaff

2 of 3

noun (2)

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

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chaff

3 of 3

verb

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

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of chaff

Noun

The grain, straw, and chaff of fonio are used as fodder for ruminant animals. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Mar. 2026 In these latest cuts, some of the other firings were in sales, recruiting, and Facebook, signaling that Zuckerberg is separating the chaff in non-AI related units beyond its flailing Metaverse division. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026 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 Dyson's line is a lot to sort through, but luckily, WIRED has spent years sorting Dyson wheat from Dyson chaff. — Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 2 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chaff

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff

Noun

Chinese surveillance footage from the Tibetan side of the border shows a huge wall of mud and debris crashing over buildings and engulfing roads as people desperately try to flee the torrent.

— Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
An ice and rock avalanche from a high-altitude glacier may have triggered the flooding, with a large volume of debris entering the Lende Khola tributary, researchers have said in a preliminary assessment.

— Josh Feldman, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of debris

Noun

There was nothing particularly novel about the show’s premise, but the scripts were refreshingly dense with jokes, prioritizing laughs over contrived drama or seasonlong relationship arcs.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
The trooper is conscious, in good spirits and able to have conversations, laugh and smile, according to Sgt.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of laugh

Verb

Professional athletes have joked about it in the past, with even all-time NBA great LeBron James teasing at a potential college sports journey post-retirement—albeit as more of a joke than an actual plan.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
The special included 27 minutes of content that revealed cinematic and gameplay scenes throughout the fictional Vice City and teases the overall narrative of the game.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of tease

Verb

Professional athletes have joked about it in the past, with even all-time NBA great LeBron James teasing at a potential college sports journey post-retirement—albeit as more of a joke than an actual plan.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
McGee joked with the crowd that their most similar qualities were distress around loud noises and mild anxiety.

— Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of joke

Noun

William Gottlieb’s suit also notes that Urban Zen hosts catered gatherings that generate food garbage, therefore creating fodder for the rats.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 25 Aug. 2026
Once on the first floor, state police found that this area of the home was also cluttered with various things as well as large black garbage bags filled with unknown items, the search warrant said.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of garbage

Verb

What everyday skills should kids practice before the first week of school?

— Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
Running under the surface of the film is the anxiety that kids his age are lucky to secure any job, even one as low-paying and exploitative as Erika’s studio assistant.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026

Definition of kid

Verb

Sebastian Galeano fools the Lake Mary defense by carrying it himself and scampers 40 yards for the touchdown.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Roughly 700 agents ultimately participated in attacks on Hugging Face as part of a broader effort to fool the scorer for a cybersecurity benchmark.

— Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

chafes

chaff

chaffed

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“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of chaff

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb

Example Sentences

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