Meaning of “stuff” in the English Dictionary

English
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"stuff" in English

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stuffnoun

uk ​ /stʌf/ us ​ /stʌf/

stuff noun (THING(S))

B1 [ U ] informal a substance, especially when you do not know or say exactly what it is:

There's sticky stuff all over the chair.
What's this black stuff?
He drinks gallons of tea - he loves the stuff.

› [ U ] informal things that someone says or does, when you are referring to them in a general way without saying exactly what they are:

All that stuff she has been saying about Lee is just not true.
We did some really interesting stuff today.
I have to go now - I've got stuff to do.
I've read all her books - I really like her stuff.

› [ U ] informal someone's possessions or things that they take somewhere with them:

We'll have to carry all our camping stuff.
Do you want help bringing your stuff in from the van?
We can't move to a smaller place - we've got too much stuff.
and stuff

› used to refer to more things of a similar kind to ones you have mentioned, when you do not say exactly what they are:

This is the drawer where I keep paper and envelopes and stuff.
The classrooms all have computers and interactive whiteboards and stuff.
I was embarrassed because he wanted to talk about love and stuff.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Grammar

Thing and stuff …
ThingWe use the general noun thing more commonly in speaking than in writing. …
StuffStuff is one of the most common nouns in speaking. It is more informal than thing. It is not at all common in writing. …

Idiom(s)

do your stuff
good/great/lovely stuff!
stuff and nonsense
the stuff of sth

stuffverb

uk ​ /stʌf/ us ​ /stʌf/

stuff verb (FILL)

› [ T ] to completely fill a container with something:

Stuff the pillow and then sew up the final seam.
Under her bed, they found a bag stuffed with money.

C2 [ T ] informal to push something into a small space, often quickly or in a careless way:

This suitcase is absolutely full - I can't stuff another thing into it.

› [ T ] to fill the body of a dead animal with special material so that it looks as if it is still alive

› [ T ] mainly UK offensive (of a man) to have sex with a woman

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

get stuffed!
stuff it, them, you, etc.
stuff your face

(Definition of “stuff” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"stuff" in American English

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stuffnoun [ U ]

us ​ /stʌf/

stuff noun [ U ] (SUBSTANCE)

› a substance or material:

What’s the black stuff on the rug?
This stuff tastes good.

stuff noun [ U ] (THINGS)

› a group of different things, activities, or matters:

We helped him move his stuff to the new apartment.
I’ve got a lot of stuff to do this weekend.
They’d heard all this stuff before.

stuffverb [ T ]

us ​ /stʌf/

stuff verb [ T ] (FILL)

› to fill the inside of something:

I can’t stuff another thing into this suitcase.

› To stuff a turkey, or other meat or vegetable, is to fill it with other food before cooking it.

› If you stuff yourself, you eat a large amount of food:

The kids stuffed themselves with snacks.

(Definition of “stuff” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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stuff

She was able to spare some of my blushes and protect me from some of the awful stuff that was available!
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
As someone once said, 'stuff happens'.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Sometimes we should focus on what we do well and try to forget some of the stuff that we do not do so well, such as the one-size-fits-all mentality.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Increasing numbers are throwing in the towel, however, which has already led to a dependence on imports in the field of fruit, vegetables and feeding-stuff production.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
However, if we are trying to deal with consumer protection, let us have some consumer protection on the stuff that we write as well.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We do not want the stuff!
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Transport and communication has been old-fashioned stuff that has been put in the budget year after year, but there are new technologies that we also need to take into account.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
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