tuft

[ tuhft ]
See synonyms for: tufttufted on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a bunch or cluster of small, usually soft and flexible parts, as feathers or hairs, attached or fixed closely together at the base and loose at the upper ends.

  2. a cluster of short, fluffy threads, used to decorate cloth, as for a bedspread, robe, bath mat, or window curtain.

  1. a cluster of cut threads, used as a decorative finish attached to the tying or holding threads of mattresses, quilts, upholstery, etc.

  2. a covered or finished button designed for similar use.

  3. a cluster of short-stalked flowers, leaves, etc., growing from a common point.

  4. a small clump of bushes, trees, etc.

  5. a gold tassel on the cap formerly worn at English universities by titled undergraduates.

  6. a titled undergraduate at an English university.

verb (used with object)
  1. to furnish or decorate with a tuft or tufts.

  2. to arrange in a tuft or tufts.

  1. Upholstery. to draw together (a cushion or the like) by passing a thread through at regular intervals, the depressions thus produced being usually ornamented with tufts or buttons.

verb (used without object)
  1. to form into or grow in a tuft or tufts.

Origin of tuft

1
First recorded in1350–1400; Middle English, variant of toft(e), from Middle French tofe, toffe, of uncertain origin; English excrescent t as in against

Other words from tuft

  • tufter, noun

Words Nearby tuft

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

How to use tuft in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tuft

tuft

/ (tʌft) /


noun
  1. a bunch of feathers, grass, hair, etc, held together at the base

  2. a cluster of threads drawn tightly through upholstery, a mattress, a quilt, etc, to secure and strengthen the padding

  1. a small clump of trees or bushes

  2. (formerly) a gold tassel on the cap worn by titled undergraduates at English universities

  3. a person entitled to wear such a tassel

verb
  1. (tr) to provide or decorate with a tuft or tufts

  2. to form or be formed into tufts

  1. to secure and strengthen (a mattress, quilt, etc) with tufts

Origin of tuft

1
C14: perhaps from Old French tufe, of Germanic origin; compare top 1

Derived forms of tuft

  • tufter, noun
  • tufty, adjective

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