From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishflufffluff1 /flʌf/ noun [uncountable] 1 DCDHsoft light bits of thread that have come from wool, cotton, or other materials He was picking bits of fluff off his trousers. a ball of carpet fluff2 HBAHBBsoft light hair or feathers, especially on a young bird or animal The chicks were just balls of yellow fluff.3 news, music, writing, work etc that is not serious or important a magazine full of pop and fashion fluff
Examples from the Corpus
fluff• fluff under the bed• Indeed, as he shut the car door, he brushed at one sleeve as if to remove wrinkles as well as fluff.• Disadvantages of the stuff are that it attracts fluff, hair and biscuit crumbs.• The cellulose fluff, although more bulky, is just a parachute, to be discarded.• It was the cotton fluff sifting from the air.• The magazine is a mix of fashion, fluff, and some serious journalism.• With Walker, they give fluff a spine and serve up sentiment.• I told her about the fluff.• The model was a little misshapen, the face furred with fluff from her pocket, but it was still intact.flufffluff2 verb [transitive] 1 informalMISTAKE to make a mistake or do something badly SYN mess something ↔ up He fluffed his shot and missed the goal. She fluffed her lines in the first scene.2 (also fluff something ↔ up/out)IMPROVE to make something soft become larger by shaking it She fluffed up the pillows for me.3 LIFT (also fluff something ↔ up/out) if a bird fluffs its feathers, it raises them and makes itself look bigger→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
fluff• He was simply doing her hair, fluffing it out like a real hairdresser.• It should have been an easy catch, but he fluffed it.• But I gave her a cold stare and fluffed my fur out.• I was so nervous that I fluffed my lines.• Our politicians rail about crime and fluff our dander up at election time.• Sparrows fluffed out against the cold, scratching among the sparks for seeds.• Fluff the couscous with a fork.• Since the version we use is quick-cooking, it will fluff up in about five minutes.• Or at least, that was the tragi-romantic picture Chesarynth had fluffed up in her mind.• We made the bed and fluffed up the pillows.• Maximum loft is achieved when the bag is fluffed up.Origin fluff1 (1700-1800) Probably from flue “fluff” ((16-19 centuries)), from Flemish vluwe 