stiff

STIF/stɪf/

30 meanings of stiff

1
adjective
Hard to bend or fold because it does not move easily.
Like a dry stick that snaps instead of bending.
The cardboard was too stiff to roll into a tube.
New leather boots often feel stiff until you break them in.
Similarfirm, rigid
Oppositeflexible, pliable, supple, limp
Note
2
adjective
Sore and hard to move after too much or unfamiliar exercise.
Like a door hinge that barely moves after sitting unused.
My legs felt stiff the morning after the long hike.
His arms were stiff for days after he started lifting weights.
Similarsore, achy, aching, tight
Oppositesupple, limber, loose
3
adjective
Acting in a very formal way and not relaxed.
Like someone standing straight as a board, afraid to move.
The new manager seemed stiff and uneasy at the party.
He gave a stiff little bow and said nothing more.
Similarformal, stilted, wooden, awkward, starchy
Oppositerelaxed, informal, natural, warm
4
adjectivefiguratively
Unwilling to change or bend, as with rules or opinions.
Like an iron bar that will not bend no matter how hard you push.
The company has stiff rules about working hours.
He was too stiff in his thinking to try a new method.
Similarrigid, inflexible, firm, unbending, uncompromising
Oppositeflexible, accommodating, yielding
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5
adjective
Strong in effect, especially a drink with a lot of alcohol.
Like coffee brewed so strong one sip wakes you up.
He poured himself a stiff drink after the long day.
A stiff wind blew the umbrella inside out.
Similarstrong, powerful
Oppositeweak, gentle, light
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6
adjectivecolloquial
Hard and harsh, like a heavy punishment or strong competition.
Like a test so hard that most people fail it.
The judge gave him a stiff fine for speeding.
The team faced stiff competition in the final.
Similarharsh, brutal, severe
Oppositelenient, light, mild, weak
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7
adjective
Thick and hard to stir or mix.
Like trying to stir cold peanut butter with a spoon.
The dough was so stiff she could barely stir it.
Mix the paste until it is thick and stiff.
Similarthick, viscous, gooey, syrupy, glutinous
Oppositerunny, thin, watery
8
adjectivecolloquial
Costing more money than you would expect.
Like a small bottle of water that costs as much as a whole meal.
They charged a stiff price for the repair.
The hotel near the beach had stiff rates in summer.
Similarsteep, hefty, expensive, pricey, exorbitant
Oppositecheap, reasonable, modest
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9
adjectivecolloquial
Dead and not alive any more.
By the time help arrived, the poor man was already stiff.
They found the old prospector stiff in his cabin.
Similardead, deceased, departed, lifeless, late
Oppositealive, living
10
adjective
Beaten so full of air that it stands up on its own without falling.
Like the pointed tips of whipped cream on a dessert.
The meringue is ready when it's stiff and glossy and doesn't slide in the bowl.
Keep whipping the cream until it turns stiff.
Similarfirm
Oppositesoft
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11
nounslangcountable
The body of a person who has died.
The detective stared at the stiff on the cold floor.
Two workers carried the stiff out of the alley.
Similarcorpse, body, cadaver, remains, carcass
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12
verbtransitive
To leave without paying money you owe to someone.
Like eating a meal and sneaking out before the bill comes.
He stiffed the cab driver and ran into the crowd.
Don't stiff the landlord just because you're moving out.
Similarbilk, cheat, swindle, shortchange, defraud
Oppositepay, repay
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13
verbtransitive
To give someone too small a tip, or none at all.
She stiffed the barber even though the haircut was perfect.
Some customers stiff the hotel housekeeping staff entirely.
Similarshortchange
Oppositetip
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14
verbslangtransitive
To kill someone.
The gang threatened to stiff anyone who talked to the police.
He bragged that he had stiffed a rival years ago.
Similarkill, murder, whack, ice, waste
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15
verbtransitive
To trick someone to get money or goods from them unfairly.
The dealer stiffed them on the price of the car.
Crooks often stiff people who are not paying attention.
Similarcheat, swindle, con, fleece, defraud
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16
adjectiveslang
Hard and standing up, said of a man's penis when he is excited.
He went stiff the moment they started kissing.
He stayed stiff for a long time afterward.
Similarhard, erect
Oppositelimp, flaccid, soft
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17
nounslangCanadaUScountable
An ordinary man who has nothing special about his skills or education.
He's just a working stiff trying to pay the rent.
Some poor stiff has to clean this mess up tomorrow.
Similarjoe, guy, schmo, nobody
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18
nounslangcountable
A movie, show, or product that fails badly and makes no money.
The movie was a complete stiff at the box office.
Their new album turned out to be a stiff.
Similarflop, failure, dud, bomb, turkey
Oppositehit, success, smash, blockbuster
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19
verbcolloquialintransitive
To fail or do badly, like a movie that nobody goes to see.
Big-budget movies sometimes stiff despite heavy advertising.
The album stiffed within a week of its release.
Similarflop, fail, bomb, tank
Oppositesucceed, triumph
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20
nounslangUScountable
A customer who does not leave any tip for the server.
That guy was a real stiff after I waited on him for two hours.
We got three stiffs in a row last night.
21
nounslangUScountable
A person who walks out of a restaurant without paying the bill.
The waiter chased the stiff out into the parking lot.
Two stiffs skipped out on a hundred-dollar tab.
Note
22
nounslangcountable
A person who is fooled and cheated by a con artist.
The con men picked an easy stiff at the bar.
Every stiff they cheated believed the whole story.
Similarmark, sucker, dupe, pigeon, patsy
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23
adverb
Of the wind, blowing very hard and with great force.
The wind blew stiff across the open harbor all afternoon.
It was blowing stiff off the point, so we reefed the sail.
Similarhard, strongly, fiercely
Oppositegently, lightly
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24
adjective
Of a boat, able to stay upright and not lean over too much.
Our little sailboat is stiff, so it hardly leans over even in strong wind.
The wider boat is stiffer, so it tips less when everyone sits on one side.
Similarstable, steady
Oppositetender, crank
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25
adjective
Of a golf shot, landing very close to the hole so the next shot is easy.
His approach landed stiff, just inches from the cup.
She hit it stiff on the short par three.
Similarclose, tight
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26
adjective
Of a hit or move, done too hard, so it really hurts the other person.
That clothesline was stiff and left a red welt.
The veteran threw a stiff forearm that dropped his opponent.
Similarhard, forceful, heavy, rough
Oppositelight, soft, gentle
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27
nouncountable
In the card game blackjack, a hand that could go over 21 if you take one more card.
He was dealt a stiff and had to decide whether to hit.
Hitting a stiff against the dealer's ten is always a gamble.
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28
nounslanguncountable
Checks or money orders, sometimes fake, passed off to get money.
He was caught passing stiff at three different banks.
The gang dealt in stolen goods and stiff.
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29
nounslangcountable
A note that a prisoner sends or passes in secret.
A stiff slipped under his cell door warned him of the search.
Guards found a stiff hidden in the spine of a library book.
Similarkite, note
Note
30
adjective
Of a math equation, hard for a computer to solve unless it uses very tiny steps.
The reaction model produced a stiff set of equations.
Solvers slow right down when the equations are stiff.
Note

Practice

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Origin

This word comes from Old English "stīf," which goes back to older Germanic and Indo-European roots. It is related to Dutch "stijf" and German "steif."