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# buff

noun (a buff, buffs); adjective (buff, buffer); verb (buff, buffs, buffed, buffing)

«buff» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A buff is a person who knows and loves a lot about one subject: «a film buff», «a history buff». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#m1)
2. Buff is a pale yellow-brown colour, like light leather. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#m2)
3. To buff something is to polish it by rubbing with a soft cloth until it shines. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#m3)
4. (slang) Buff means having strong, big muscles: «He's really buff». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#m4)
5. (UK slang) Buff can mean good-looking. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#m5)
6. (informal) In the buff means with no clothes on. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#m6)
7. In games, a buff makes a character stronger; to buff is to make stronger. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#m7)
8. Blindman's buff is a party game in which one player is blindfolded and tries to catch the others. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#m8)

### In the lessons

In everyday life you buff shoes, cars or floors. In stories and talk a «buff» is a fan with lots of knowledge. Kids who play video games talk about buffs and nerfs. Phrases: film buff, history buff, in the buff, buff up.

### Examples

- My uncle is a real train buff. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#x1)
- Dad buffed his shoes until they shone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#x2)
- The envelope was a pale buff colour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#x3)
- After months at the gym, he got really buff. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#x4)
- The babies ran around the garden in the buff. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#x5)
- The new update buffed my favourite character. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#x6)
- She's a history buff who knows every king. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#x7)
- Some played at blindman’s buff, others at tag. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/#x8)

### Note

«Buff» for muscles and «in the buff» are informal. Do not confuse with «bluff» (pretending). Comparative of the adjective is «buffer», which is also a different noun (a buffer on a railway).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «buff» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/buff/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«buff» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/buff.html) on Mova free.