1
: materials, supplies, or equipment used in various activities: such as
a
obsolete
: military baggage
2
: material to be manufactured, wrought, or used in construction
clear half-inch pine stuff—
Emily Holt
Emily Holt3
: a finished textile suitable for clothing
especially
: wool or worsted material
4
a
: literary or artistic production
b
: writing, discourse, talk, or ideas of little value : trash
5
a
: an unspecified material substance or aggregate of matter
volcanic rock is curious stuff
b
: something (as a drug or food) consumed or introduced into the body by humans
c
: a matter to be considered
the truth was heady stuff
long-term policy stuff
d
: a group or scattering of miscellaneous objects or articles
pick that stuff up off the floor
also
: nonphysical unspecified material
conservation and … all kinds of good stuff —Eric Korn
Eric Korn 6
a
: fundamental material : substance
the stuff of greatness
b
: subject matter
a teacher who knows her stuff
7
: special knowledge or capability
showing their stuff
8
a
: spin imparted to a thrown or hit ball to make it curve or change course
b
: the movement of a baseball pitch out of its apparent line of flight : the liveliness of a pitch
greatest pitcher of my time … had tremendous stuff—Ted Williams
Ted Williams9
stuffless
adjective
stuffed; stuffing; stuffs
1
a
: to fill by packing things in : cram
the boy stuffed his pockets with candy
b
: to fill to satiety : surfeit
stuffed themselves with turkey
c
: to prepare (meat or vegetables) by filling or lining with a stuffing
d
: to fill (something, such as a cushion) with a soft material
e
: to fill out the skin of (an animal) for mounting
2
a
: to fill by intellectual effort
stuffing their heads with facts
b
: to pack full of something immaterial
a book stuffed with information
3
: to fill or block up (something, such as nasal passages)
4
a
: to cause to enter or fill : thrust
stuffed a lot of clothing into a laundry bag
b
: to put (a ball, a puck, etc.) into a goal forcefully from close range
5
—used in the imperative to express contempt
if they didn't like it, stuff 'em—Eric Clapton
—often used in the phrases stuff it and get stuffed
Eric Clapton6
: to stop (a ballcarrier) abruptly in a football game
stuffed the runner just short of a first down
Examples of stuff in a Sentence
Noun
She got out the cooking stuff to bake some cookies.
computers, word processors, and stuff like that
I need a place to store my stuff.
Pick that stuff up off the floor.
Verb
The boy stuffed his pockets with candy.
She stuffed the laundry bag full.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
Strasburg evolved during his career from a pitcher with elite stuff to someone who could mix his pitches well and still get outs without his elite movement.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
Galen Clavio walked into the student mailroom – back when student mailrooms were still a thing – and found an envelope stuffed in his mailbox.
—Dana O'Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stuff
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.
Noun
And while there’s stuff to celebrate here, like the return of original final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), original screenwriter Kevin Williamson behind the camera, and some small town chills, much of this first look feels a bit been-there, done-that.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
Strasburg evolved during his career from a pitcher with elite stuff to someone who could mix his pitches well and still get outs without his elite movement.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
This year, she has been invited to spend the holidays with family friends, the Sterlings, a wealthy family who appears to be hiding enough secrets to stuff a sleigh.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
Galen Clavio walked into the student mailroom – back when student mailrooms were still a thing – and found an envelope stuffed in his mailbox.
—Dana O'Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stuff
Cite this Entry
“Stuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stuff. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stuff
1 of 2 noun1
: supplies or equipment that people need or use
2
: writing, conversation, or ideas often of little or temporary worth
3
: something mentioned or understood but not named
sold tons of the stuff
4
a
: basic part of something : substance
the stuff of greatness
b
: body of knowledge
teachers who know their stuff
5
a
: actions or talk of a particular kind
how do they get away with such stuff
b
: special knowledge or ability
a person who has the right stuff will do well here
stuff
2 of 2 verb1
a
: to fill by or as if by packing things in
was stuffing her pockets with candy
b
: to eat too much
don't stuff yourself with pizza
c
: to fill with a stuffing
stuffed the pillow
2
: to fill with ideas or information
stuffed their heads with facts
3
: to fill or block up
a sore throat and stuffed nose
4
: to put or push into something especially carelessly or with little concern
stuffed the clothes into the drawer
stuffer
noun
Medical Definition
stuff
transitive verb
: to choke or block up (as nasal passages)
a stuffed up nose
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