Stuff

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Stuff, n. [OF. estoffe, F. étoffe; of uncertain origin, perhaps of Teutonic origin and akin to E. stop, v.t. Cf. Stuff, v. t.].

•  Material which is to be worked up in any process of manufacture.  [1913 Webster]

  "For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much."  [1913 Webster]

  "Ambitions should be made of sterner stuff."  [1913 Webster]

  "The workman on his stuff his skill doth show,
  And yet the stuff gives not the man his skill."  [1913 Webster]
•  The fundamental material of which anything is made up; elemental part; essence.  [1913 Webster]

  "Yet do I hold it very stuff o' the conscience
  To do no contrived murder."  [1913 Webster]
•  Woven material not made into garments; fabric of any kind; specifically, any one of various fabrics of wool or worsted; sometimes, worsted fiber.  [1913 Webster]

  "What stuff wilt have a kirtle of?"  [1913 Webster]

  "It [the arras] was of stuff and silk mixed, though, superior kinds were of silk exclusively."  [1913 Webster]
•  Furniture; goods; domestic vessels or utensils.  [1913 Webster]

  "He took away locks, and gave away the king's stuff."  [1913 Webster]
•  A medicine or mixture; a potion.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  Refuse or worthless matter; hence, also, foolish or irrational language; nonsense; trash.  [1913 Webster]

  "Anger would indite
  Such woeful stuff as I or Shadwell write."  [1913 Webster]
•  A melted mass of turpentine, tallow, etc., with which the masts, sides, and bottom of a ship are smeared for lubrication.  [1913 Webster]
•  Paper stock ground ready for use.  [1913 Webster]

  " When partly ground, called half stuff."  Knight.  [1913 Webster]

Clear stuff. See under Clear. -- Small stuff (Naut.), all kinds of small cordage. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- Stuff gown, the distinctive garb of a junior barrister; hence, a junior barrister himself. See Silk gown, under Silk.

Stuff, v. t. [OE. stoffen; cf. OF. estoffer, F. étoffer, to put stuff in, to stuff, to line, also, OF. estouffer to stifle, F. étouffer; both perhaps of Teutonic origin, and akin to E. stop. Cf. Stop, v. t., Stuff, n.].

•  To fill by crowding something into; to cram with something; to load to excess; as, to stuff a bedtick.  [1913 Webster]

  "Sometimes this crook drew hazel bought adown,
  And stuffed her apron wide with nuts so brown."  [1913 Webster]

  "Lest the gods, for sin,
  Should with a swelling dropsy stuff thy skin."  [1913 Webster]
•  To thrust or crowd; to press; to pack.  [1913 Webster]

  "Put roses into a glass with a narrow mouth, stuffing them close together . . . and they retain smell and color."  [1913 Webster]
•  To fill by being pressed or packed into.  [1913 Webster]

  "With inward arms the dire machine they load,
  And iron bowels stuff the dark abode."  [1913 Webster]
•  To fill with a seasoning composition of bread, meat, condiments, etc.; as, to stuff a turkey.  [1913 Webster]
•  To obstruct, as any of the organs; to affect with some obstruction in the organs of sense or respiration.  [1913 Webster]

  "I'm stuffed, cousin; I can not smell."  [1913 Webster]
•  To fill the skin of, for the purpose of preserving as a specimen; -- said of birds or other animals.  [1913 Webster]
•  To form or fashion by packing with the necessary material.  [1913 Webster]

  "An Eastern king put a judge to death for an iniquitous sentence, and ordered his hide to be stuffed into a cushion, and placed upon the tribunal."  [1913 Webster]
•  To crowd with facts; to cram the mind of; sometimes, to crowd or fill with false or idle tales or fancies.  [1913 Webster]
•  To put fraudulent votes into (a ballot box).  [1913 Webster]

Stuff, v. i. 

 To feed gluttonously; to cram.  [1913 Webster]
"Taught harmless man to cram and stuff."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Stuff, n. & v.
--n.
1 the material that a thing is made of; material that may be used for some purpose.
2 a substance or things or belongings of an indeterminate kind or a quality not needing to be specified (there's a lot of stuff about it in the newspapers).
3 a particular knowledge or activity (know one's stuff).
4 woollen fabric (esp. as distinct from silk, cotton, and linen).
5 valueless matter, trash, refuse, nonsense (take that stuff away).
6 (prec. by the) a colloq. an available supply of something, esp. drink or drugs. b sl. money.
--v.
1 tr. pack (a receptacle) tightly (stuff a cushion with feathers; a head stuffed with weird notions).
2 tr. (foll. by in, into) force or cram (a thing) (stuffed the socks in the drawer).
3 tr. fill out the skin of (an animal or bird etc.) with material to restore the original shape (a stuffed owl).
4 tr. fill (poultry etc.) with a savoury or sweet mixture, esp. before cooking.
5 a tr. & refl. fill (a person or oneself) with food. b tr. & intr. eat greedily.
6 tr. push, esp. hastily or clumsily (stuffed the note behind the cushion).
7 tr. (usu. in passive; foll. by up) block up (a person's nose etc.).
8 tr. sl. (esp. as an expression of contemptuous dismissal) dispose of as unwanted (you can stuff the job).
9 tr. US place bogus votes in (a ballot-box).
10 tr. coarse sl. offens. have sexual intercourse with (a woman).

Idiom

bit of stuff sl. offens. a woman regarded as an object of sexual desire. do one's stuff colloq. do what one has to. get stuffed sl. an exclamation of dismissal, contempt, etc. stuff and nonsense an exclamation of incredulity or ridicule. stuffed shirt colloq. a pompous person. stuff gown Brit. a gown worn by a barrister who has not taken silk. stuff it sl. an expression of rejection or disdain. that's the stuff colloq. that is what is wanted.

Derivative

stuffer n. (also in comb.).

Etymology

ME stoffe f. OF estoffe (n.), estoffer (v.) equip, furnish f. Gk stupho draw together

THESAURUS

Stuff

abilities, accessories, accomplishments, addictive drug, air, aliment, allay, anhydrate, atom, atomic particles, atoms, attitude, attributes, axiom, baggage, balderdash, baloney, bar, batten, being, belongings, bind, blast-freeze, block, block up, blockade, bolt, bolt down, bosh, bottom, breast-feed, brim, brine, brute matter, building block, bull, bullshit, bung, bunk, bunkum, candy, capabilities, caulk, ceil, center, charge, chattels, chemical element, chink, chock, choke, choke off, choke up, claptrap, clobber, clog, clog up, cloth, cloy, component, compress, congest, constipate, constituent, core, cork, corn, cover, cram, cram in, crap, creations, crowd, crowd in, cure, dam, dam up, dangerous drug, dehydrate, desiccate, devour, distillate, distillation, dope, dough, drapery, drench, drive in, drug, dry, dry-cure, dry-nurse, dry-salt, earth, effects, element, elementary particle, elementary unit, elixir, embalm, engorge, entity, equipment, essence, essential, essentiality, essentials, etoffe, evaporate, fabric, face, fatten, fatten up, feather, felt, fiddle-faddle, fill, fill to overflowing, fill up, fire, flapdoodle, flower, focus, force, force in, force-feed, foster, foul, freeze, freeze-dry, freight, fume, fundamental, fundamental particle, fundamentals, fur, furniture, garbage, gear, gist, glut, gluttonize, gobble, goods, gorge, gormandize, gravamen, grit, gulp, gulp down, guttle, guzzle, hard drug, hard stuff, heart, hogwash, hot air, humbug, hyle, hypostasis, impact, impedimenta, individual, ingredients, inlay, inner essence, interline, irradiate, jade, jam, jam in, jam-pack, jerk, junk, kernel, kipper, kit, knock in, lace, lactate, lade, line, live to eat, load, lumber, makings, malarkey, marinade, marinate, marrow, material, material resources, material world, materiality, materials, materiel, matter, meat, medium, molecule, monad, mummify, napery, natural world, nature, nonsense, nourish, nub, nucleus, nurse, nurture, nutrify, nuts and bolts, object, obstipate, obstruct, overburden, overcharge, overdose, overeat, overfeed, overfill, overgorge, overindulge, overlade, overload, oversaturate, overstuff, overweight, pack, pack in, pad, pall, pang, paraphernalia, pelf, personal, physical world, pickle, piffle, pith, plenum, plug, plug up, plunder, plunge in, poke in, poppycock, possessions, postulate, pound in, preservatize, press, press in, principle, property, push in, quick-freeze, quid, quiddity, quintessence, quintessential, rag, ram, ram in, raven, raw material, refrigerate, rhino, rocks, rot, rubbish, run in, salt, sap, sate, satiate, satisfy, saturate, scratch, season, shekels, shit, shove, silk, slake, smash, smoke, smoke-cure, soak, soul, spile, spirit, squash, squeeze, squeeze in, stanch, staple, stay, stench, stock, stop, stop up, stopper, stopple, store, stuff and nonsense, stuff in, stuff up, stumpy, substance, substances, substratum, suckle, sugar, sum and substance, supercharge, supersaturate, supply, surcharge, surfeit, swill, tackle, talents, tamp, tamp in, tangible, textile, textile fabric, texture, the four elements, the nitty-gritty, things, thrust, thrust in, tissu, tissue, top off, trappings, traps, trash, tricks, tripe, twaddle, unit of being, virtuality, wad, wainscot, water, weave, web, wedge in, weft, weight, wet-nurse, wolf, wolf down, woof, wool, works

ROGET THESAURUS

Stuff

Substantiality

N substantiality, hypostasis, person, being, thing, object, article, item, something, a being, an existence, creature, body, substance, flesh and blood, stuff, substratum, matter, corporeity, element, essential nature, groundwork, materiality, substantialness, vital part, world, plenum, substantive, substantial, hypostatic, personal, bodily, tangible, corporeal, substantially, bodily, essentially.

Materials

N materials, material, raw material, stuff, stock, staple, adobe, brown stone, chinking, clapboard, daubing, puncheon, shake, shingle, bricks and mortar, metal, stone, clay, brick crockery, compo, composition, concrete, reinforced concrete, cement, wood, ore, timber, materials, supplies, munition, fuel, grist, household stuff pabulum, ammunition, contingents, relay, reinforcement, reenforcement, baggage, means, calico, cambric, cashmere, raw, wooden, adobe.

Unimportance

N unimportance, insignificance, nothingness, immateriality, triviality, levity, frivolity, paltriness, poverty, smallness, vanity, matter of indifference, no object, nothing, nothing to signify, nothing worth speaking of, nothing particular, nothing to boast of, nothing to speak of, small matter, no great matter, trifling matter, mere joke, mere nothing, hardly anything, scarcely anything, nonentity, small beer, cipher, no great shakes, peu de chose, child's play, kinderspiel, toy, plaything, popgun, paper pellet, gimcrack, gewgaw, bauble, trinket, bagatelle, Rickshaw, knickknack, whim-wham, trifle, trifles light as air, yankee notions, trumpery, trash, rubbish, stuff, fatras, frippery, leather or prunello, chaff, drug, froth bubble smoke, cobweb, weed, refuse, scum, joke, jest, snap of the fingers, fudge, fiddlestick, fiddlestick end, pack of nonsense, mere farce, straw, pin, fig, button, rush, bulrush, feather, halfpenny, farthing, brass farthing, doit, peppercorn, jot, rap, pinch of snuff, old son, cent, mill, picayune, pistareen, red cent, minutiae, details, minor details, small fry, dust in the balance, feather in the scale, drop in the ocean, flea-bite, molehill, nine days' wonder, ridiculus mus, flash in the pan, much ado about nothing, unimportant, of little account, of small account, of no account, of little importance, of no importance, immaterial, unessential, nonessential, indifferent, subordinate, mediocre, passable, fair, respectable, tolerable, commonplace, uneventful, mere, common, ordinary, inconsiderable, so-so, insignificant, inappreciable, trifling, trivial, slight, slender, light, flimsy, frothy, idle, puerile, airy, shallow, weak, powerless, frivolous, petty, niggling, piddling, peddling, fribble, inane, ridiculous, farcical, finical, finikin, fiddle-faddle, fingle-fangle, namby-pamby, wishy-washy, milk and water, poor, paltry, pitiful, contemptible, sorry, mean, meager, shabby, miserable, wretched, vile, scrubby, scrannel, weedy, niggardly, scurvy, putid, beggarly, worthless, twopennyhalfpenny, cheap, trashy, catchpenny, gimcrack, trumpery, one- horse, not worth the pains, not worth while, not worth mentioning, not worth speaking of, not worth a thought, not worth a curse, not worth a straw, beneath notice, unworthy of notice, beneath regard, unworthy of regard, beneath consideration, unworthy of consideration, de lana caprina, vain, slightly, rather, somewhat, pretty well, tolerably, for aught one cares, Int, no matter!, pish!, tush!, tut!, pshaw!, pugh!, pooh, pooh-pooh!, fudge!, bosh!, humbug!, fiddlestick, fiddlestick end!, fiddlededee!, never mind!, n'importe!, what signifies it, what boots it, what of it, what of that, what matter, what's the odds, a fig for', stuff!, nonsense!, stuff and nonsense, magno conatu magnas nugas, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, it matters not, it does not signify, it is of no consequence, it is of no importance, elephantus non capit murem, tempete dans un verre d'eau.

Gluttony

N gluttony, greed, avarice, greediness, voracity, epicurism, good living, high living, edacity, gulosity, crapulence, guttling, guzzling, pantophagy, good cheer, blow out, feast, gastronomy, batterie de cuisine, epicure, bon vivant, gourmand, glutton, cormorant, hog, belly god, Apicius, gastronome, gourmet, v, gormandize, gorge, overgorge, overeat oneself, engorge, eat one's fill, cram, stuff, guttle, guzzle, bolt, devour, gobble up, gulp, raven, eat out of house and home, have the stomach of an ostrich, play a good knife and fork, pamper, gluttonous, greedy, gormandizing, edacious, omnivorous, crapulent, swinish, avaricious, selfish, pampered, overfed, overgorged, jejunus raro stomachus vulgaria temnit.

Expansion

VB become larger &c (large), expand, widen, enlarge, extend, grow, increase, incrassate, swell, gather, fill out, deploy, take open order, dilate, stretch, distend, spread, mantle, wax, grow up, spring up, bud, bourgeon, shoot, sprout, germinate, put forth, vegetate, pullulate, open, burst forth, gain flesh, gather flesh, outgrow, spread like wildfire, overrun, be larger than, surpass, render larger &c (large), expand, spread, extend, aggrandize, distend, develop, amplify, spread out, widen, magnify, rarefy, inflate, puff, blow up, stuff, pad, cram, exaggerate, fatten.

Lining

VB line, stuff, incrust, wad, pad, fill.

Materiality

N materiality, materialness, corporeity, corporality, substantiality, substantialness, flesh and blood, plenum, physical condition, matter, body, substance, brute matter, stuff, element, principle, parenchyma, material, substratum, hyle, corpus, pabulum, frame, object, article, thing, something, still life, stocks and stones, materials, physics, somatology, somatics, natural philosophy, experimental philosophy, physicism, physical science, philosophie positive, materialism, materialist, physicist, somatism, somatist, material, bodily, corporeal, corporal, physical, somatic, somatoscopic, sensible, tangible, ponderable, palpable, substantial, objective, impersonal, nonsubjective, neuter, unspiritual, materialistic.

Texture

N texture, structure (form), organization, anatomy, frame, mold, fabric, construction, framework, carcass, architecture, stratification, cleavage, substance, stuff, compages, parenchyma, constitution, staple, organism, organography, osteology, myology, splanchnology, neurology, angiography, adeology, angiography, adenography, texture, surface texture, intertexture, contexture, tissue, grain, web, surface, warp and woof, warp and weft, tooth, nap, flatness (smoothness), fineness of grain, coarseness of grain, dry goods, silk, satin, muslin, burlap, histology, structural, organic, anatomic, anatomical, textural, textile, fine grained, coarse grained, fine, delicate, subtile, gossamery, filmy, silky, satiny, coarse, homespun, rough, gritty, smooth, smooth as silk, smooth as satin.

Absurdity

N absurdity, absurdness, imbecility alogy, nonsense, utter nonsense, paradox, inconsistency, stultiloquy, stultiloquence, nugacity, blunder, muddle, bull, Irishism, Hibernicism, slipslop, anticlimax, bathos, sophism, farce, galimathias, amphigouri, rhapsody, farrago, betise, extravagance, romance, sciamachy, sell, pun, verbal quibble, macaronic, jargon, fustian, twaddle, gibberish, exaggeration, moonshine, stuff, mare's nest, quibble, self- delusion, vagary, tomfoolery, poppycock, mummery, monkey trick, boutade, escapade, absurd, nonsensical, preposterous, egregious, senseless, inconsistent, ridiculous, extravagant, quibbling, self-annulling, self- contradictory, macaronic, punning, foolish sophistical, unmeaning, without rhyme or reason, fantastic, Int, fiddlededee!, pish!, pho!, in the name of the Prophet--figs!, credat Judaeus Apella, tell it to the marines.

Unmeaningness

N meaninglessness, unmeaningness, scrabble, empty sound, dead letter, vox et praeterea nihil, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, nonsense, utter nonsense, gibberish, jargon, jabber, mere words, hocus-pocus, fustian, rant, bombast, balderdash, palaver, flummery, verbiage, babble, baverdage, baragouin, platitude, niaiserie, inanity, flap-doodle, rigmarole, rodomontade, truism, nugae canorae, twaddle, twattle, fudge, trash, garbage, humbug, poppy-cock, stuff, stuff and nonsense, bosh, rubbish, moonshine, wish-wash, fiddle- faddle, absurdity, vagueness, boilerplate, clich_¬, unmeaning, meaningless, senseless, nonsensical, void of sense, inexpressive, unexpressive, vacant, not significant, insignificant, trashy, washy, trumpery, trivial, fiddle-faddle, twaddling, quibbling, unmeant, not expressed, tacit, inexpressible, undefinable, incommunicable.