stiff
adjective, stiff·er, stiff·est.
noun
- a dead body; corpse.
- a formal or priggish person.
- a poor tipper; tightwad.
- a drunk.
- a fellow: lucky stiff; poor stiff.
- a tramp; hobo.
- a laborer.
- a forged check.
- a promissory note or bill of exchange.
- a letter or note, especially if secret or smuggled.
adverb
verb (used with object)
Origin of stiff
SYNONYMS FOR stiff
OTHER WORDS FROM stiff
Words nearby stiff
Example sentences from the Web for stiff
Ney said McDonnell needs to “keep a stiff lip” and stay in close contact with family members.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv |Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEASTHer pallid young face, brow sweating with fear and pain, yet resolute and stiff with sorrow, makes you want to cry.
FDR wanted to project easy grace rather than stiff formality—especially when communicating complicated matters.
He is in his late forties; intelligent, people say, but stiff and restrained, an eternal bachelor.
Adam Hochschild on Keeping Company With His Dying Father |Adam Hochschild |June 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And most of the contemporization sounds like what it is—an ostentatious, slightly ill-fitting suit slipped onto a stiff.
Michael Jackson’s Posthumous Album, ‘Xscape,’ Is a Confused, Shameless Money Grab |Andrew Romano |May 13, 2014 |DAILY BEASTIf it becomes too stiff add a few drops of water, and stir it again.
The Century Cook Book |Mary RonaldThe Rumanians presented a stiff ultimatum to the new Hungarian Cabinet.
The Inside Story Of The Peace Conference |Emile Joseph DillonEven his grizzled hair slanted forward in a stiff cowlick over his forehead, and his face bristled sharply with his gray beard.
Jerome, A Poor Man |Mary E. Wilkins FreemanAnd she could neither walk nor fly, she was so lame and stiff, or else it was that her wings were cut—he was not sure which.
Four Winds Farm |Mrs. MolesworthAttempting to remount, I was as stiff and awkward as an octogenarian, and my restive mule would not stand for a moment.
The Secret Service. |Albert D. Richardson
British Dictionary definitions for stiff
adjective
noun
adverb
verb
Derived forms of stiff
stiffish, adjective stiffly, adverb stiffness, nounWord Origin for stiff
Idioms and Phrases with stiff
In addition to the idioms beginning with stiff
- stiff as a board
- stiff upper lip
also see:
- bore to death (stiff)
- keep a stiff upper lip
- scare out of one's wits (stiff)