buff

1
[ buhf ]
See synonyms for: buffbuffer on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a soft, thick, light-yellow leather with a napped surface, originally made from buffalo skin but later also from other skins, used for making belts, pouches, etc.

  2. a brownish-yellow color; tan.

  1. a devotee or well-informed student of some activity or subject: Civil War buffs avidly read the new biography of Grant.

  2. Informal. the bare skin, or the state of being nude: swimming in the buff;stripped to his buff.

  3. Also called buffcoat . a thick, short coat of buffalo leather, worn especially by English soldiers and American colonists in the 17th century.

  4. Informal. a buffalo.

adjective
  1. having the color of buff.

  2. made of buff leather.

  1. Slang. physically attractive; muscular.

verb (used with object)
  1. to clean or polish (metal) or give a grainless finish of high luster to (plated surfaces) with or as if with a buff stick or buff wheel.

  2. to polish or shine, especially with a buffer: to buff shoes.

  1. to dye or stain in a buff color.

Origin of buff

1
First recorded in 1545–55; 1900–05 for def. 4; earlier buffe “wild ox,” back formation from buffle, from Middle French, from Late Latin būfalus; see buffalo; (def. 4) originally a person enthusiastic about firefighting and firefighters, allegedly after the buff-colored uniforms once worn by volunteer firefighters in New York City

Other words for buff

Other words from buff

  • buff·a·bil·i·ty, noun
  • buff·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby buff

Other definitions for buff (2 of 2)

buff2
[ buhf ]

verb (used with object)
  1. (in a video game) to enhance (player characters' attributes or abilities) with a spell, skill, or item: If you buff your party with a skill that increases movement speed, make sure everyone is in the area of effect—you wouldn’t want to leave your healer in the dust!

  2. to reduce or deaden the force of; act as a buffer.

noun
  1. (in a video game) a category of spell, skill, or item that enhances player characters' attributes or abilities: Your build is specific to your job class, so a DPS Shaman and a DPS Druid might bring different buffs.

  2. Chiefly British Dialect. a blow; slap.

Origin of buff

2
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English buffe “blow; clash.” back formation from buffet2

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use buff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for buff (1 of 3)

buff1

/ (bʌf) /


noun
    • a soft thick flexible undyed leather made chiefly from the skins of buffalo, oxen, and elk

    • (as modifier): a buff coat

    • a dull yellow or yellowish-brown colour

    • (as adjective): buff paint

  1. Also called: buffer

    • a cloth or pad of material used for polishing an object

    • a flexible disc or wheel impregnated with a fine abrasive for polishing metals, etc, with a power tool

  2. informal one's bare skin (esp in the phrase in the buff)

verb
  1. to clean or polish (a metal, floor, shoes, etc) with a buff

  2. to remove the grain surface of (a leather)

Origin of buff

1
C16: from Old French buffle, from Old Italian bufalo, from Late Latin būfalus buffalo

British Dictionary definitions for buff (2 of 3)

buff2

/ (bʌf) /


verb
  1. (tr) to deaden the force of

noun
  1. archaic a blow or buffet (now only in the phrase blind man's buff)

Origin of buff

2
C15: back formation from buffet ²

British Dictionary definitions for buff (3 of 3)

buff3

/ (bʌf) /


noun
  1. informal an expert on or devotee of a given subject: a cheese buff

Origin of buff

3
C20: originally US: an enthusiastic fire watcher, from the buff-coloured uniforms worn by volunteer firemen in New York City

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with buff

buff

see in the buff.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.