as in debris
discarded or useless material
there's a lot of chaff in this book, and the reader should be on the alert for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in laugh
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
I got no end of chaff about my accent when I was in the military
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to tease
to make fun of in a good-natured way
chaffed her about the brightly colored shirt she had received as a gift
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chaff
Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Station execs didn’t think much of horror hosts and B-movie chaff.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 25 Oct. 2024
The challenge is in discerning the wheat from the chaff.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
This dynamic—in which markets lowball ambitious movies, and streaming platforms ply audiences with algorithmic chaff—leaves little room for both enthusiasm and good-faith challenges.
—Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Noun
The same goes for a whole host of other digital solutions designed to help separate the chaff from the wheat.
—Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Station execs didn’t think much of horror hosts and B-movie chaff.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 25 Oct. 2024
The challenge is in discerning the wheat from the chaff.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
This dynamic—in which markets lowball ambitious movies, and streaming platforms ply audiences with algorithmic chaff—leaves little room for both enthusiasm and good-faith challenges.
—Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Verb
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Along with Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters and Gillian Anderson’s characters are teased in the minute-and-a-half-long trailer, which also features a voice appearance from Bridges.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Apr. 2025
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The monkeys did it Since the very first episode, people online have been speculating that the monkeys often seen in ambient shots of Thailand’s nature are to blame for the ultimate shootout teased in this season’s opening scene.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Walter Emanuel Jones, who played the original Black Ranger, even joked about the choice in behind-the-scenes footage from the show.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
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But Corden followed up by joking about possible financial challenges facing some international winners due to Trump’s actions.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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After a day on the slopes at Lost Trail, make your way to the tiny town of Jackson, which will make Philipsburg and Anaconda seem like large metropolitan areas (kidding, kinda).—
Will McGough,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Huang may have been kidding, but Nvidia spent much of its event detailing just how much better its Blackwell chips are.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But ultimately, the best use of corn is hands down roasting it in a skillet.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2025
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Saturday Night Live didn’t hold back on roasting President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariff plan that sent global stocks plunging this week.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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That attempt was soon fooled by sloppy play in the neutral zone that gave Brad Marchand a short-handed opportunity.—
Nick Ashbourne,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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But don't let the name fool you, Murderbot isn't actually the frightening story of a dangerous security robot.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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