1
as in fumbling
to make a mistake
unnerved by her earlier missteps, the skater fluffed on the final jump as well
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in blowing
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I completely fluffed the introduction by calling the boss's wife by the wrong name
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fluffing
Tidy living areas by fluffing pillows, folding blankets, and removing visible pet hair.
—
Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
Remove thick, dense piles of wet and matted leaves, or consider gently fluffing them up with a rake.
—Heather Zidack, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
Following Odsonne Édouard's second-half equalizer, Tosin snatched three points for Lorient in the 65th minute, fluffing his initial attempt before rounding the Lens goalkeeper to score.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz had squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Simply spend 60 seconds straightening your sheets, smoothing your comforter or duvet, and fluffing your pillows, and marvel at how the chore instantly makes your entire bedroom look neater.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025
The girl shook some snow out of her long hair, fluffing up her bangs with her fingers.
—Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025
After fluffing his for about an hour, contributor DaVonne Bacchus says this Douglas fir looked lifelike and didn’t have any needle loss.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
Others focused on fluffing tails, polishing hooves or clipping hair.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
Remove thick, dense piles of wet and matted leaves, or consider gently fluffing them up with a rake.
—Heather Zidack, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
Following Odsonne Édouard's second-half equalizer, Tosin snatched three points for Lorient in the 65th minute, fluffing his initial attempt before rounding the Lens goalkeeper to score.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz had squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Simply spend 60 seconds straightening your sheets, smoothing your comforter or duvet, and fluffing your pillows, and marvel at how the chore instantly makes your entire bedroom look neater.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025
The girl shook some snow out of her long hair, fluffing up her bangs with her fingers.
—Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025
After fluffing his for about an hour, contributor DaVonne Bacchus says this Douglas fir looked lifelike and didn’t have any needle loss.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
Others focused on fluffing tails, polishing hooves or clipping hair.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fluffing
Verb
-
There was an emotional honesty that embraced the idea that growth isn’t always linear (see Andie from The Devil Wears Prada, fumbling a relationship with a good guy because her career came first).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Be ill-prepared for Christmas and face the danger of fumbling your most profitable time of the year.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
This kind of build-up is unusual because volatile elements like sodium, which can get exposed after an object is blasted with micrometeorites, are usually later depleted by solar winds blowing from the sun and the general influence of space.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The title track, with its glassy melody and woozy, almost stumbling groove, deploys wholesome, end-of-the-night, comedown energy not unlike Bicep’s most beloved tracks.—
Reid BG,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Pack comfortable shoes and enjoy stumbling upon the secrets of the city.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Deadline revealed details of the changes last year, with executives dubbing the plan Project Ada.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
-
This gave rise to some constituents dubbing her Lori Tehran, which is the capitol of Iran, something which Grossi was quick to pick up and run with.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After Dobes was penalized for tripping Yanni Gourde, Point took Jake Guentzel’s centering pass and ripped a shot past Dobes’ blocker from the high slot.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Cellphone video shot by a bystander then showed the man tripping and falling on his face as officers aggressively detained him moments later.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Determining how the teen died took time, and after months of additional investigation, prosecutors announced charges against D4vd that allege her murder was a premeditated attempt to keep her from ruining his music career by exposing their underage relationship.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, wet windows can accumulate condensation overnight, potentially ruining your hard work.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fluffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fluffing. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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