[stuff] n [ME, fr. MF estoffe, fr. OF, fr. estoffer to equip, stock, of Gmc origin; akin to OHG stopfon to stop up, fr. (assumed) VL stuppare--more at stop] (14c) 1: materials, supplies, or equipment used in various activities: as a obs: military baggage b: personal property
2: material to be manufactured, wrought, or used in construction "clear half-inch pine ~ --Emily Holt"
3: a finished textile suitable for clothing; esp: wool or worsted material
4. a: literary or artistic production b: writing, discourse, talk, or ideas of little value: trash
5. a: an unspecified material substance or aggregate of matter "volcanic rock is curious ~" b: something (as a drug or food) consumed or introduced into the body by humans c: a matter to be considered "the truth was heady ~" "long-term policy ~" d: a group or scattering of miscellaneous objects or articles "pick that ~ up off the floor"; also: nonphysical miscellaneous material
6. a: fundamental material: substance "~ of greatness" b: subject matter "a teacher who knows her ~" 7: special knowledge or capability "showing their ~"
8. a: spin imparted to a thrown or hit ball to make it curve or change course b: the movement of a baseball pitch out of its apparent line of flight: the liveliness of a pitch "greatest pitcher of my time ... had tremendous ~ --Ted Williams" 9: dunk shot -- stuff.less adj
[2]stuff vt (15c) 1 a: to fill by packing things in: cram "the boy ~ed his pockets with candy" b: to fill to satiety: surfeit "~ed themselves with turkey" c: to prepare (meat or vegetables) by filling or lining with a stuffing d: to fill (as a cushion) with a soft material e: to fill out the skin of (an animal) for mounting
2. a: to fill by intellectual effort "~ing their heads with facts" b: to pack full of something immaterial "a book ~ed with information"
3: to fill or block up (as nasal passages)
4. a: to cause to enter or fill: thrust "~ed a lot of clothing into a laundry bag" b: to put (as a ball or puck) into a goal forcefully from close range 5--used in the imperative to express contempt "if they didn't like it, ~ 'em --Eric Clapton"--often used in the phrases stuff it and get stuffed
6: to stop abruptly in a football game "~ the run"