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cuff

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kuhf
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkʌf

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist.

  2. The end of a pants leg when folded up.

  3. The lap consisting of a turned-back hem encircling the end of the sleeve or leg

  4. informalplural only

    A handcuff.

  5. A blow, especially with the open hand; a box; a slap.

  6. A surgical procedure in which parts of the body that were not previously connected are stitched together.

verb

  1. Hit with the hand

  2. transitive

    To hit, as a reproach, particularly with the open palm to the head; to slap.

  3. transitive

    To furnish with cuffs.

  4. intransitive

    To fight; to scuffle; to box.

  5. To buffet.

  6. transitiveslang

    To enter into a committed romantic relationship with (someone).

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist.

Used this way, cuff is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • manacle , rarer, so it draws attention
  • handcuff , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use cuff

  • “She rolled up the cuff of her jeans before wading into the water.”noun

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.