# chaff

/ˈtʃæf/ (US) · /tʃˈæf/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/chaff
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. grain husks

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the dry outer parts of grain that are removed before the grain is eaten.

For teachers: the husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing.

- The wind blew the light chaff away while the heavy grain fell to the ground.
- Traditional winnowing techniques rely on the wind to separate the lighter chaff from the denser, edible kernels of wheat.

Usage: Uncountable in this sense.

### 2. worthless things

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary

something that is worthless or not important compared to the good parts.

For teachers: worthless matter; the trivial or useless parts of something otherwise valuable.

- A good editor helps you separate the wheat from the chaff in your writing.
- The critic's job is to sift through the seasonal releases and separate the artistic wheat from the commercial chaff.

Usage: Commonly used in the idiom 'separate the wheat from the chaff'.

### 3. radar interference

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

strips of metal dropped by planes to confuse enemy radar.

For teachers: strips of metal foil or glass fibre dropped from an aircraft to create false echoes on radar screens.

- The pilot deployed chaff to hide the jet from the tracking system.
- Modern electronic warfare suites automatically deploy chaff and flares when a missile lock is detected by the aircraft's sensors.

### 4. light banter

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

friendly, joking talk or teasing.

For teachers: light, good-natured ridicule or teasing; banter.

- The two old friends enjoyed a bit of harmless chaff over dinner.
- Their conversation was filled with the easy chaff of people who had known each other since childhood.

### 5. to tease

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

to tease someone in a friendly way.

For teachers: to mock or tease in a good-natured manner.

- They chaffed him about his new hat until he finally took it off.
- The soldiers chaffed their comrade about his supposed romantic conquests during their long march back to camp.

Usage: Usually takes a direct object.

## Examples

- The pilot released chaff to hide the plane from the radar.
- During the air raid, the fighter jets dropped chaff to create a dense cloud that masked their true location from the enemy.
- Modern electronic warfare systems often combine chaff with flares to provide a layered defense against sophisticated tracking mechanisms that can distinguish between heat signatures and radar reflections.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.