Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🐶 A dog's bark 🪶 Neck feathers 👑 A fancy collar 🃏 A trump play 🃏 To play trump 🧵 To make ruffles 🦆 A wading bird
to ruff

to ruff

1 9.3
To gather small folds in cloth to make a decorative edge
  • verb
  • /rʌf/
: fruncir
  • The seamstress ruffed the hem to create a decorative frill around the skirt.

Examples

  • She carefully ruffs the sleeves to add a touch of elegance to the dress.

  • After ruffing the fabric, the costume looked much more elaborate and festive.

  • She decided to ruff the edges of the fabric.

  • After ruffing the material, it looked much more decorative.

  • The seamstress ruffed the hem to create a decorative frill around the skirt.

  • She carefully ruffs the sleeves to add a touch of elegance to the dress.

  • To finish the costume, she ruffed the edges for a more ornate look.

Synonyms

to pleat
vsto ruff
1 4.4

To fold fabric into narrow even folds to shape clothing

is about creating soft gathered frills, not regular even folds
to ruffle
vsto ruff
1 4.5

Gather cloth into small folds to make a decorative edge

focuses on creating an edge frill rather than broad, even folds
to ruckle
vsto ruff
1 9.9

To make small folds in cloth by pressing or gathering it

is decorative gathering into neat frills, not rough or accidental wrinkling
to ruche
vsto ruff
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To gather fabric into small folds to make a decorative edge on clothes

is specifically about making a small decorative frill along an edge

Antonyms

smooth
224 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

to flatten
86 2.6

Make something flat and smooth by pressing it

Compounds

neck ruff
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A high, stiff collar made of linen or lace worn around the neck

How Frilly

flounce
1 7.4
to ruff
1 9.3
to pleat
1 4.4
gather
  • Specialized
1 8.0

Surface Forms

ruff infinitive
ruffs past
ruffs past participle
ruffing present participle
ruffs third person singular

Etymology

To ruff fabric means to make a frill or pleat and comes from the same idea as the collar ruff and the word ruffle, so to ruff something is to give it a decorative neck-like frill.