Stiff Definition

stĭf
stiffed, stiffest, stiffing, stiffs, stiffer
adjective
stiffest, stiffer
Hard to bend or stretch; rigid; firm; not flexible or pliant.
Webster's New World
Hard to move or operate; not free or limber.
Webster's New World
Not moving or operating easily or freely; resistant.
A stiff hinge.
American Heritage
Lacking ease or comfort of movement; not limber.
A stiff neck.
American Heritage
Stretched tight; taut; tense.
Webster's New World
adverb
To a stiff condition.
Webster's New World
To a complete extent; totally.
Bored stiff.
American Heritage
Completely; thoroughly.
Scared stiff.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
noun
stiffs
A corpse.
Webster's New World
An excessively formal or constrained person.
Webster's New World
A drunken person.
Webster's New World
A drunk.
American Heritage
An awkward or rough person.
Webster's New World
verb
stiffed, stiffing
To tip (someone) inadequately or not at all, as for a service rendered.
Paid the dinner check but stiffed the waiter.
American Heritage
To cheat (someone), as by not paying.
Webster's New World
To fail to leave a tip for.
Webster's New World
To fail to give or supply (something expected or promised).
American Heritage

To fail to pay that which one owes (implicitly or explicitly) to another, especially by departing hastily.

Realizing he had forgotten his wallet, he stiffed the taxi driver when the cab stopped for a red light.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Stiff

Noun

Singular:
stiff
Plural:
stiffs

Adjective

Base Form:
stiff
Comparative:
stiffer
Superlative:
stiffest

Origin of Stiff

  • Old English stÄ«f, from Proto-Germanic *stÄ«faz (compare Dutch stijf, German steif), from Proto-Indo-European *stÄ«pos (compare Latin stipare, from which English stevedore).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English stīf

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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