chuff

1 of 3

noun (1)

: boor, churl

chuff

2 of 3

verb

chuffed; chuffing; chuffs

intransitive verb

: to produce noisy exhaust or exhalations : proceed or operate with chuffs
the chuffing and snorting of switch enginesPaul Gallico

chuff

3 of 3

noun (2)

: the sound of noisy exhaust or exhalations

Examples of chuff in a Sentence

Noun (1) the sort of ostentatious London townhouse that some greedy chuff of a billionaire might own
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Found in the far northeast of Japan on the island of Hokkaido, the Fuyu-no-Shitsugen train chuffs through this national park with retro style in the winter months. John Walton, CNN, 10 Apr. 2023 At engineer Chuck Wolf's signal, air from each car's reservoir instantly begins pounding into the cylinder in a cacophony of clangs and chuffs. IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2022 The vault's stone hull juts like a shipwreck in the drifted ice while polar bears chuff and lumber past the door. Brittney Corrigan, Scientific American, 19 May 2022
Verb
His team of stylists is also a cut above the rest, should your coif be chuffed and in need of repair. Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 9 Aug. 2024 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban would be chuffed. Eric Gordy, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2018 Image: Apple Folks who have been clamoring for rest days on the Apple Watch will also be chuffed to know getting sick or injured will no longer break streaks. Victoria Song, The Verge, 10 June 2024 Meryl stood next to her throughout, wearing a calming white gown and glasses, making a series of grateful and stunned and moved and chuffed and bashful facial expressions and occasionally fanning herself, which is to say, being Meryl Streep. Rachel Handler, Vulture, 14 May 2024 Travelers are just chuffed with London this summer, and are planning to head there in droves. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 27 Mar. 2024 Randy is chuffed to lead today’s walk around the Japanese-style Memorial Healing Garden within Oregon State Penitentiary, home as the prison has been from his late teens through to his mid fifties – his age now. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024 The railroad rolls out all five of its Shay steam locomotives, tooting their whistles, chuffing black coal smoke, and fuming chutes of white steam through its piston valves and exhaust ports. Mark Orwoll, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2023 As for the artist himself, he was chuffed to have worked on the famous model. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 28 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chuff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English chuffe

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1914, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chuff was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near chuff

Cite this Entry

“Chuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chuff. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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