[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/cuff/)

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# cuff

noun (a cuff, cuffs); verb (cuff, cuffs, cuffed, cuffing)

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

## Everyday

1. A cuff is the end part of a sleeve, around the wrist. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#m1)
2. (US) A cuff is a turned-up fold at the bottom of a trouser leg (UK: turn-up). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#m2)
3. Cuffs (informal) are handcuffs, and to cuff someone is to put handcuffs on them. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#m3)
4. To cuff someone is to hit them lightly with an open hand; a cuff is such a light hit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#m4)
5. A cuff is a band put round the arm to measure blood pressure. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#m5)

### In the lessons

In clothes, a shirt cuff may have a button or a cufflink. In crime stories, police «cuff» a suspect. In older stories, a «cuff round the ear» was a light slap (hitting children is wrong and is banned in many places). Phrases: «off the cuff» (said without preparing), «on the cuff» (US, on credit).

### Examples

- The cuffs of my school shirt are dirty. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#x1)
- He rolled up his cuffs to wash his hands. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#x2)
- The police cuffed the thief and put him in the car. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#x3)
- In the old story, the boy got a cuff round the ear. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#x4)
- She gave a funny speech off the cuff, without notes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#x5)
- The nurse put a cuff on Grandma's arm to check her blood pressure. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#x6)
- His jeans had wide cuffs at the bottom. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#x7)
- Fairies indeed are strange, and Peter, who understood them best, often cuffed them. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cuff/#x8)

### Note

Countable: cuffs. Regular verb: cuffed. «Off the cuff» means unprepared, not «off the sleeve». Cufflinks are small fasteners for shirt cuffs.

## On Mova

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