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
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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chaff
Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
Visitors can see the operations of the thresher and the simple mechanics used to separate grain from chaff.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025
These preambles separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of Maron’s fans, though, which is the wheat and which is the chaff in skipping in the intros versus listening to them remains to be seen.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 2 June 2025
In other words, nearly nine-tenths of all primetime impressions were chaff.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaff
Noun
After hiring an industry executive, the company figured out how to separate the valuable ore from the chaff.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaff
Verb
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In August 2025, the company announced plans to enter the automotive sector and teased two concept cars that drew heavy comparisons to the Bugatti Chiron and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.—
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Also at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Cyrus teased a potential return to the beloved, wig-wearing character.—
Verb
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Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP George Clooney and Don Cheadle, who came onstage to present the final award for the night, joked about the standing ovation, with Cheadle noting Clooney did not receive one.—
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Roberts joked, motioning for the entire auditorium at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles to stand for her.—
Verb
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There’s an adults-only section and a large, warm pool that kids love.—
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Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.—
Verb
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The small round dish can be used for all sorts of culinary delights, from baking single-serve cakes to roasting garlic.—
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And there's plenty of ways to cook it, like roasting it on high heat, that eliminates the goo while retaining benefits.—
Verb
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Don't be fooled by an ocean that looks calm.—
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To Newton, the saga was a reminder of how, in the age of increasingly sophisticated and accessible generative AI, anyone online can easily and quickly fool even the most discerning content consumers.—
Cite this Entry
“Chaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaff. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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