transitive verb ruffled -·fled, ruffling -·fling

1. to take away the smoothness of; wrinkle; ripple wind ruffling the water
2. to gather into ruffles
3. to put ruffles on as trimming
4. to make (feathers, etc.) stand up in or as in a ruff, as a bird when frightened
5. to disturb, irritate, or annoy
6. to turn over (the pages of a book, etc.) rapidly

Etymology: ME ruffelen < ON or MLowG, as in LowG, ON hrufla, to scratch

intransitive verb

1. to become uneven, wrinkled, etc.
2. to become disturbed, irritated, etc.

noun

1. a strip of cloth, lace, etc., gathered in pleats and puckers and used for trimming
2. something like this, as a bird's ruff
3. a disturbance; irritation
4. a break in surface smoothness; ripple

noun

Etymology: also earlier ruff, prob. echoic

intransitive verb, transitive verb ruffled -·fled, ruffling -·fling