furniture
- 1Large movable objects like chairs, tables, and beds that you use in a room.
Like the chairs and tables that fill up an empty room.
We bought new furniture for the living room.
The old furniture was too heavy to carry upstairs.
Similarfurnishings
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- 2The handles, hinges, and other metal parts fixed to a door or coffin.
Like the knobs and hinges that let a door open and close.
The carpenter polished the brass furniture on the front door.
Antique coffin furniture sometimes turns up at estate sales.
Similarfittings, hardware, mountings, ironmongery
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- 3Everything on a printed page that is not the main text or pictures, like headlines and lines.
Like the frame and labels around a photo, not the photo itself.
The designer added furniture like headlines and rules to balance the page.
Most of the furniture sits at the top and edges of the page.
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- 5The wooden or plastic parts of a gun that you hold and that hold the barrel.
Like the handle of a tool: the part you actually hold.
He replaced the rifle's worn furniture with a new walnut set.
Synthetic furniture makes the carbine lighter and easier to clean.
Similarwoodwork
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- 6Good-looking books bought just to fill shelves and make a private library look grand.
Like fake books on a movie set: they look good but nobody reads them.
The lord bought furniture by the yard to dress his empty shelves.
Most of those gilded volumes are furniture, never once opened.
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- 8A kind of organ stop that blends several high pipes to brighten the sound.
Like adding high, bright notes on top to make the music sparkle.
The organist drew the furniture to add brilliance to the final chord.
With the furniture engaged, the whole church filled with bright, ringing tone.
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- 9In old printing, the wood or metal pieces packed around type to set the margins.
Like packing material that fills gaps in a box so nothing slides around.
The compositor wedged furniture around the type to hold the margins firm.
Without enough furniture, the locked page would shift on the press.
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- 10Cloth coverings and hangings such as bedsheets, tablecloths, and tapestries.
Like the curtains and cloths that dress up a bare room.
The chamber's rich furniture of silk hangings impressed every guest.
She packed away the summer furniture and hung heavier winter cloths.
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- 11Tools, equipment, or instruments used for doing a job.
Like a painter's brushes and paints: the gear you need to get the work done.
The carpenter laid out his furniture of saws and chisels on the workbench.
A surgeon arrived with all the furniture needed for the difficult operation.
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- 12Extra decorations added to make something look nicer.
A Scythian Shepherd, so imbelliſhed With Natures pride, and richeſt furniture? His looks do menace heauen & dare the Gods, His fiery eies are fixt vpon the earth.
c. 1587, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. The First PartHere, furniture means decoration, things that make someone look finer.Note
- 13The clothes a person wears as an outfit.
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- 14Weapons and armor used for fighting in war.
The knight donned his full furniture before riding into battle.
The armory stored the soldiers' furniture between campaigns.
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- 15A store or supply of food and goods kept ready.
The ship sailed with furniture enough to last the long voyage.
The pantry held the household's furniture for the whole winter.
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- 16The things that fill or stock a place.
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- 17The oil, vinegar, and seasonings added to a salad.
The cook prepared the salad's furniture of oil, vinegar, and fresh herbs.
She tossed the greens with their usual furniture before serving.
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- 18The act of supplying or giving someone what they need.
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- 19The state of being ready, equipped, or well taught.
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Practice
Can you tell the meanings of furniture apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
From Middle French fourniture, meaning a supply or the act of furnishing, from fournir, to furnish.