1
a
: a small cluster of elongated flexible outgrowths attached or close together at the base and free at the opposite ends
especially
: a growing bunch of grasses or close-set plants
b
: a bunch of soft fluffy threads cut off short and used as ornament
3
: mound
4
: any of the projections of yarns drawn through a fabric or making up a fabric so as to produce a surface of raised loops or cut pile
tufted; tufting; tufts
1
a
: to provide or adorn with a tuft
b
: to make (a fabric) of or with tufts
2
: to make (something, such as a mattress) firm by stitching at intervals and covering the depressions produced on the surface with tufts
: to form into or grow in tufts
tufter
noun
Examples of tuft in a Sentence
Noun
A tuft of hair stuck out from under his hat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Miles Walls, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Nestled amid sticks and tufts of soft hair were two endangered Mexican gray wolf pups.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 4 Nov. 2024
Kate Baggaley, Popular Science, 27 May 2020
The mattresses are hand-tufted and made in California.
—Mariana Zapata, NBC News, 8 May 2020
See all Example Sentences for tuft 
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Noun
Faux grass tufts are made from high-quality silk to prevent shedding and a mix of ivory and taupe fibers add depth.
—Miles Walls, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Nestled amid sticks and tufts of soft hair were two endangered Mexican gray wolf pups.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
These included residential species like Carolina wrens and tufted titmice, as well as indigo buntings, hooded warblers, and other birds that spend their winters in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.
—Kate Baggaley, Popular Science, 27 May 2020
The mattresses are hand-tufted and made in California.
—Mariana Zapata, NBC News, 8 May 2020
See all Example Sentences for tuft
Dictionary Entries Near tuft
Cite this Entry
“Tuft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuft. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tuft
2 of 2 verb1
: to provide or decorate with a tuft
2
: to make (as upholstery) firm by stitching through the stuffing here and there
Medical Definition
tuft
noun1
: a small cluster of elongated flexible outgrowths or parts attached or close together at the base and free at the opposite ends
especially
: a small bunch of hairs on the body
2
: a branching anatomical structure that resembles a tuft
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