# faff about

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/faff-about
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to spend time doing things that are not important or to take a long time to do something simple.

For teachers: to engage in unproductive, disorganized, or trivial activity; often implies a lack of focus or unnecessary delay in completing a task.

## Examples

- Stop faffing about and put your shoes on.
- We spent the whole morning faffing about with the printer instead of finishing the report.
- While the committee faffed about with minor administrative details, the actual deadline for the project passed unnoticed.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He was faffing about the room." but "He was faffing about." — when used to mean wasting time, 'about' is a particle, not a preposition requiring a physical location.

## Usage notes

- usually used when the speaker is frustrated by someone's lack of efficiency.
- Teaching tip: this is a quintessentially British expression; use it to teach students how to express mild annoyance at procrastination or disorganization.

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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.