# stuff

/ˈstəf/ (US) · /stˈʌf/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stuff
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. substance or material

noun · CEFR B2

the material that something is made of.

For teachers: the fundamental substance or matter that constitutes a physical object.

- This pillow is filled with some kind of soft, recycled stuff.
- The engineers are testing the physical properties of the stuff used to coat the exterior of the spacecraft.

### 3. illegal drugs

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang

a secret way to talk about illegal drugs, especially heroin.

For teachers: a slang term for illicit narcotics, frequently used within drug-using subcultures to refer to heroin.

- The police believed he was selling the stuff out of his garage.
- Undercover agents spent months tracking the distribution of the stuff across the city's northern districts.

### 4. to fill tightly

verb · CEFR B1

to push a lot of things into a small space.

For teachers: to pack or cram a container or cavity with a substance or objects until it is full.

- She managed to stuff all her winter clothes into one small suitcase.
- The courier had to stuff the remaining parcels into the back of the van to ensure every delivery was made before the deadline.

### 5. to overeat

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to eat so much food that you feel very full.

For teachers: to consume food to the point of satiety or excess; often used reflexively.

- We stuffed ourselves with pizza and cake at the birthday party.
- It is easy to stuff yourself at an all-you-can-eat buffet and regret the decision an hour later.

### 6. to prepare food

verb · CEFR B1

to put a mixture of bread, herbs, or meat inside a chicken or vegetable before cooking it.

For teachers: to fill the cavity of an item of food, such as a turkey or a bell pepper, with a seasoned mixture before cooking.

- My grandmother always stuffs the turkey with her secret breadcrumb recipe.
- The chef demonstrated how to stuff the mushrooms with a delicate blend of garlic, herbs, and goat cheese.

### 7. taxidermy

verb · CEFR B2

to fill the skin of a dead animal so it looks real for display.

For teachers: to preserve a deceased animal by filling its skin with material to restore its lifelike appearance for exhibition.

- The museum has a collection of birds that were stuffed over a hundred years ago.
- The hunter decided to have the deer head stuffed and mounted on the wall of his cabin.

### 8. to dismiss or reject

verb · CEFR C1 · British English · Informal · Vulgar

a rude way to say you do not care about something or you refuse it.

For teachers: an imperative used to express contemptuous dismissal or total rejection of a suggestion or object.

- If they won't give me a pay raise, they can stuff the job.
- When the landlord demanded another month of rent in advance, the tenant told him he could stuff it and moved out that night.

## Examples

- I need to move all my stuff into the new apartment.
- The teacher asked the students to clear all the stuff off their desks before the exam started.
- While the technical manual covers the hardware specifications, it fails to explain the more complex stuff regarding the software's underlying architecture and data processing logic.

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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.