buff

SayBUFUS · UK/bʌf//bɐf/

Pluralbuffs

Verbbuffs, buffing, buffed

22 meanings of buff

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1
fannouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
Someone who knows a lot about a subject and really likes it.
Like a superfan who knows everything about their favorite topic.
My uncle is a big history buff.
Movie buffs love this old theater.
UsageSay the subject first: a movie buff.
Similarfan, enthusiast, fanatic, devotee, aficionado
2
polishverbtransitive
To rub something until it looks smooth and shiny.
Like rubbing a coin until it shines.
Buff the floor with a soft cloth until it shines.
He buffed his old boots before the interview.
UsageSay buff something to a shine.
Similarpolish, shine, burnish, wax, furbish
3
muscularadjectivecolloquial
Having big, strong muscles.
Like a bodybuilder with big, strong arms.
After a year of training, he looked really buff.
She got buff from lifting weights all summer.
UsageSay get buff. For comparisons, more buff is often clearer than buffer.
Similarbuffed
Oppositescrawny, puny, weedy, flabby
Note
4
adjective
Having a pale yellow-brown color.
Like the color of light brown paper.
She bought a buff folder for her papers.
The old map had faded to a buff shade.
5
game bonusnouncountable or uncountable
In games, something that makes a player or item stronger.
Like a power-up that makes you stronger for a while.
Drink the potion to get a speed buff.
That spell gives your whole team a buff.
UsageSay a speed buff. The opposite is a debuff or a nerf.
Similarboost, enhancement
Oppositenerf, debuff
6
strengthen (games)verbtransitive
In games, to make a character or item stronger.
Like giving a runner a head start so they win more easily.
The next update will buff the weakest characters.
They buffed the healer, so it restores health faster now.
UsageThe opposite is nerf.
Similarboost, strengthen, upgrade, enhance
Oppositenerf, debuff
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7
yellow-brown shadenouncountable or uncountable
A pale yellow-brown color.
Like the color of sand or light cardboard.
The room was painted a soft buff.
He wore a jacket in pale buff.
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8
polishing toolnouncountable or uncountable
A tool used for polishing, often covered with soft leather.
Like a soft pad you rub on metal to make it shine.
She wiped the blade clean with a buff.
The jeweler used a buff to bring out the ring's shine.
Similarpolisher
9
bare skinnouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
Bare skin with no clothes on.
The kids ran around the yard in the buff.
He answered the door in the buff.
UsageSay in the buff.
Similarnude, raw
Note

Less common meanings

10
undyed leathernouncountable or uncountable
Strong, undyed leather made from buffalo or ox skin.
Like the tough, pale leather in old work gloves.
The soldier's coat was made of thick buff.
Workers stitched the bag from sturdy buff.
Note
11
ox meatnouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
Meat from a buffalo, or a buffalo itself.
The villagers grilled buff over an open fire for the festival.
She bought some fresh buff at the local market.
Note
12
remove graffitiverbslangtransitive
To clean off graffiti, usually done by someone who is not a graffiti artist.
Like wiping a drawing off a whiteboard.
The city paid workers to buff the graffiti off the train cars.
Crews buffed the wall the morning after it was tagged.
Similarclean, scrub, erase, remove
Note
13
attractiveadjectivedialectalMulticultural London English
Good-looking and attractive.
Like a movie star everyone finds good-looking.
My cousin says the new girl in his class is proper buff.
He kept telling his mates the girl at the bus stop was well buff.
UsagePeople often say well buff or proper buff.
Similarhot, fit, attractive, gorgeous
Oppositeugly, unattractive
Note
14
nounobsolete
A hit or a blow.
Nathless so sore a buff to him it lent / That made him reel.
1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie QueeneHere, buff means a hard hit or blow.
A man must consider what a blind-man’s-buff is this game of conformity. If I know your sect I anticipate your argument.
1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self-Reliance”
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15
nounrare
Alternative form of buffe. It means a piece of armor that covers the face.
Note
16
verbobsolete
To speak with stops and repeats, the way a stutter sounds.
Note
17
noun
A military coat made from thick, pale leather.
18
verb
To change a patient's medical chart, often in a dishonest way.
19
noun
A cheap material added to street drugs to make a bigger amount and more profit.
20
noundated
The grayish, sticky layer that settles between the red blood cells and the clear part of the blood.
21
noun
The pushing force between rail cars when they are bunched close together.
22
verbobsolete
To hit something with a blow.
Bravely run Red-hood, / There was a shock, / To have buff’d out the blood / From ought but a block.
a. 1640, Ben Jonson, The Under-wood

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Can you tell the meanings of buff apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–10, 12–13

From an old word 'buffe' meaning leather, which came from a French word for buffalo.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Buff comes from the older word buffe, meaning leather. en.wiktionary.org
Buffe came from a French word meaning buffalo. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 14

From an Old French word 'bufer' meaning to hit or strike.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Buff derives from Old French bufer. en.wiktionary.org
Old French bufer meant to hit or strike. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 16

From Middle English 'buffen' meaning to stutter, from Old English 'byffan' meaning to mumble. It goes back to a very old root meaning to fear.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Buff derives from Middle English buffen, meaning to stutter. en.wiktionary.org
Middle English buffen derives from Old English byffan, meaning to mumble. en.wiktionary.org
The ultimate root means to fear. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 11

A short form of the word 'buffalo'.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

'Buff' is a short form of 'buffalo'. en.wiktionary.org