- 1to fill a space or container tightly with something stuff A with B She had 500 envelopes to stuff with leaflets. stuff B in, into, under, etc. A She had 500 leaflets to stuff into envelopes. stuff something The fridge is stuffed to bursting. stuff something + adj. All the drawers were stuffed full of letters and papers.
- 2stuff something + adv./prep. to push something quickly and carelessly into a small space synonym shove She stuffed the money under a cushion. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. Robyn quickly stuffed clothes into an overnight bag.
- 3stuff something to fill a vegetable, chicken, etc. with another type of food Are you going to stuff the turkey? stuffed peppers See related entries: Preparing food
- 4(informal) to eat a lot of food or too much food; to give somebody a lot or too much to eat stuff somebody/yourself He sat at the table stuffing himself. stuff somebody/yourself with something Don't stuff the kids with chocolate before their dinner. stuff your face We stuffed our faces at the party. See related entries: Hunger
- 5[usually passive] stuff something to fill the dead body of an animal with material and preserve it, so that it keeps its original shape and appearance They had had their pet dog stuffed.Word OriginMiddle English (denoting material for making clothes): shortening of Old French estoffe ‘material, furniture’, estoffer ‘equip, furnish’, from Greek stuphein ‘draw together’.Extra examples He hastily stuffed a few clothes into a bag. He was stuffing his face full of chocolate. Her briefcase was stuffed full of papers. She stuffed her case with presents for the kids. The police found the money that she’d stuffed down her dress. The room was stuffed to the gills with trophies. Don’t stuff the kids with chocolate before their dinner. My nose is stuffed up. She stuffed the money under the pillow. The closet was stuffed to bursting.Idioms
stuffverb
BrE BrE//stʌf//; NAmE NAmE//stʌf//Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they stuff
BrE BrE//stʌf//; NAmE NAmE//stʌf//he / she / it stuffs
BrE BrE//stʌfs//; NAmE NAmE//stʌfs//past simple stuffed
BrE BrE//stʌft//; NAmE NAmE//stʌft//past participle stuffed
BrE BrE//stʌft//; NAmE NAmE//stʌft//-ing form stuffing
BrE BrE//ˈstʌfɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈstʌfɪŋ//Preparing food, Hunger
(British English, informal) used to tell somebody in a rude and angry way to go away, or that you do not want something If they don’t offer you more money, tell them to get stuffed. (informal) used to show that you have changed your mind about something or do not care about something I didn't want a part in the play, then I thought—stuff it—why not? Stuff it. At my age it doesn’t matter.
get stuffedjump to other results
(informal) used to tell somebody in a rude and angry way that you do not want something I told them they could stuff their job.
you, etc. can stuff somethingjump to other results