Fluff
/flʌf/
Definitions
4 meaningsSoft, light, and downy material, often of low density or value.
/flʌf/
Soft, light, and downy material.
The pillow was filled with soft, downy fluff.
💡 Simply: Imagine a soft, light cloud or the soft stuff that gets on your clothes from the dryer. That's fluff! You can find it in pillows, blankets, and even on your favorite stuffed animal.
👶 For kids: Soft and light stuff like what's in a pillow or what comes off a cat.
More Examples
She brushed the fluff off her sweater.
The dryer filter was full of lint and fluff.
How It's Used
"The kitten snuggled into the soft fluff of the blanket."
"The vacuum cleaner picked up all the dust and fluff from the rug."
To shake or pat something, especially pillows or cushions, to make it light and airy.
/flʌf/
To shake or pat something to make it light and airy.
She fluffed the pillows before the guests arrived.
💡 Simply: To fluff means to shake something gently to make it bigger or more comfortable, like when you shake a pillow or your hair. Think of making a comfy couch even comfier.
👶 For kids: To shake something gently to make it look soft and puffy.
More Examples
He fluffed up his hair in the mirror.
The baker carefully fluffed the whipped cream.
How It's Used
"She fluffed up the pillows on the couch to make them look inviting."
"The baker gently fluffed the flour to make the cake lighter."
Something that is insubstantial, unimportant, or of little value; empty talk or writing.
/flʌf/
Something of little value; nonsense or empty talk.
The article contained a lot of fluff and didn't say much.
💡 Simply: When something is fluff, it's like all the extra stuff that doesn't really matter. Imagine a boring speech with lots of unnecessary words; that's fluff! It's all the 'blah blah blah' that you can ignore to get to the point.
👶 For kids: When people say a lot of words that don't mean anything important.
More Examples
He dismissed the details as mere fluff.
She ignored the fluff and focused on the real issues.
How It's Used
"Don't listen to his presentation, it's all fluff."
"Cut out the fluff and get to the point."
To make something look better or more important than it is by adding unnecessary details or embellishments.
/flʌf/
To make something more attractive by adding something unnecessary.
The marketing team fluffed the presentation with irrelevant data.
💡 Simply: To fluff means to make something fancy by adding extra details that aren't important. For example, a writer might fluff a story with useless scenes. It's like adding whipped cream to make it look prettier, although it doesn't actually add flavor.
👶 For kids: To add extra stuff that is not needed.
More Examples
He fluffed the report with flowery language.
The movie producers fluffed the story with special effects.
How It's Used
"The writer fluffed the story with unnecessary details."
"The commercial fluffed the product with fancy graphics."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
all fluff and no substance
Containing a lot of unnecessary words or details but lacking important or useful information.
"The report was all fluff and no substance; it didn't address the main issues."
Likely imitative, from the sound of something soft being shaken or brushed. First recorded in the 16th century.
The noun form first appeared in the late 16th century. The verb form came slightly later, with the meaning of 'shaking up' appearing a little later.
Memory tip
Think of a soft, white cloud: that's fluff!