stuff

I UK [stʌf] / US noun [uncountable] informal ***

1) a variety of objects or things

What's all this stuff on my desk?

By the time we got to the sale, all the good stuff was gone.

a) the things that belong to a particular person or activity or in a particular place

The school stuff goes on this shelf.

the tennis/kitchen/baking stuff

someone's stuff:

Would you get your stuff out of here?

b) things that are not important

I'm telling him we don't want all that stupid stuff here.

2)

a) the basic material or substance that people use for making something

The costumes were made of thin, gauzy stuff.

Wheat's the stuff they use to make spaghetti and cereal.

We need salad stuff.

b) spoken used for talking about a substance or material when you do not know the correct name

What's that sticky stuff in your hair?

Get me some of that stuff for fixing windows.

3)

a) qualities that are an important special part of something, for example a person's character or experiences

I think he has the right stuff for the job.

b) qualities, activity, or behaviour that are especially negative or upsetting

There was a lot of bad stuff going on at that school.

4) general information

I already know all that stuff.

good stuff:

They publish a lot of good stuff.

5) used for saying that what someone says or thinks is nonsense

Rachel tried to give me that stuff about being ignored.

•

...and stuff (like that) — spoken used for referring to things that are similar or related to the subject that you are discussing

We need some meat and stuff for dinner.

She wants us to smile more, and stuff like that.

the stuff of dreams/legends/nightmares etc — the type of things that are usually found in dreams/stories etc

The pictures of the genocide were the stuff of nightmares.

- do your stuff

- know your stuff

See:

hard I, hot stuff, stern I

II UK [stʌf] / US verb [transitive]
Word forms "stuff":
present tense I/you/we/they stuff he/she/it stuffs present participle stuffing past tense stuffed past participle stuffed
**

1) to push something soft into a space or container

stuff something into something:

Alice quickly stuffed her clothes into a suitcase and left.

2) to fill a container or space with something, especially something soft

stuff something with something:

It's cheaper to stuff the pillows with foam than with feathers.

a) to fill meat or vegetables with small pieces of another type of food

stuff something with something:

We could stuff the pasta with cheese and vegetables.

b) to fill a dead animal's skin so that it looks alive

Dad had that big fish he caught stuffed.

•

stuff yourself/your face — to fill yourself with food until you are not hungry or feel ill

Every Christmas David stuffs himself.

- stuff it