to fluff the pillow
3
2.8
- phrasal verb
:
esponjar la almohada
- Before going to bed, she likes to fluff the pillow to make it extra soft.
- fluffed the pillows on the couch
- fluffed the pillows on the sofa
- fluffing the pillows on my bed
Examples
-
He wanted, he said, to come fuss over her—fluff her pillows, serve her hot soup, and read aloud to her.
Fiction book (1990) -
He pulls the sheet up and fluffs the pillow before resting his head.
Fiction book (2001) -
We could fluff the pillows, turn off the lamps.
-
Boots fluffed her pillow real hard, leaned back, and closed her eyes like she was going to sleep.
Fiction book (2000) -
Tonight we will brush our teeth and fluff our pillows, maybe catch a snack before bed.
Blog text (17) -
I fluff her pillows so they'll be soft and fat when she puts her head down at night.
Fiction book (1997) -
She fluffed the pillows on the sofa.
Fiction book (1992) -
Many days later, when my illness was coming to an end and the bandages were removed from my infected hand, I was lying in bed between clean sheets and with my head on two fluffed-up pillows.
Fiction book (1990) -
She poured apple juice, ladled soup, and lifted his head as she fluffed his pillow.
Fiction book (1993) -
Mother fluffs the morning pillows with pats from the palms of her hands, all ginger creamed.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
17
4.1
To make hair or fabric look fuller by brushing
10
3.5
To move something quickly so it becomes fluffier or looser
2
3.3
To make something fuller and softer by shaking or separating it
1
4.5
To make a pillow or cushion fuller by fluffing it
To make a pillow or cushion soft and fluffy by patting it
Antonyms
How Fluffy
3
4.6
3
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'fluff' (to arrange or shake to make fuller) applied to 'pillow' (a soft pad for the head); the action and result are literal and predictable. This follows a standard verb + object compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
The phrase fluff the pillow comes from the action of shaking and patting a pillow so it fills with air, like a bird fluffing its feathers. So, fluff the pillow means 'to shake and pat a pillow to make it fuller and more comfortable'.