ruffle
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ruf·fle 1
(rŭf′əl)n.
1. A strip of frilled or closely pleated fabric used for trimming or decoration.
2. A ruff on a bird.
3. An irregularity or a slight disturbance of a surface: the ruffle on the lake.
4. A beating or rustling sound: the ruffle of drums in the distance; the ruffle of a skirt on the floor.
v. ruf·fled, ruf·fling, ruf·fles
v.tr.
1. To disturb the smoothness or regularity of; ripple: The wind ruffled the water.
2.
a. To pleat or gather (fabric) into a ruffle.
b. To put a ruffle on (a garment, for example).
3. To erect (the feathers). Used of birds.
4. To discompose or annoy; fluster: a book that is bound to ruffle some people.
5. To flip through (the pages of a book).
6. To shuffle (cards).
v.intr.
1. To become irregular or rough: His hair ruffled in the wind.
2. To become annoyed or flustered: What teacher doesn't ruffle when students act up in class?
3.
a. To flip through the pages of a book: ruffled through the book until I found the picture.
b. To search for something in a container: ruffled in her bag looking for the keys.
4. To make a beating or rustling sound.
[From Middle English ruffelen, to roughen.]
ruf·fle 2
(rŭf′əl)n.
A low continuous beating of a drum that is not as loud as a roll. Also called ruff4.
tr.v. ruf·fled, ruf·fling, ruf·fles
To beat a ruffle on (a drum).
[Probably from frequentative of ruff.]
ruf·fle 3
(rŭf′əl)intr.v. ruf·fled, ruf·fling, ruf·fles
Obsolete To behave arrogantly or roughly; swagger.
[Middle English ruffelen, to quarrel.]
ruf′fler n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ruffle
(ˈrʌfəl)vb
1. to make, be, or become irregular or rumpled: to ruffle a child's hair; a breeze ruffling the water.
2. to annoy, irritate, or be annoyed or irritated
3. (Knitting & Sewing) (tr) to make into a ruffle; pleat
4. (Zoology) (of a bird) to erect (its feathers) in anger, display, etc
5. (tr) to flick (cards, pages, etc) rapidly with the fingers
n
6. an irregular or disturbed surface
7. (Knitting & Sewing) a strip of pleated material used for decoration or as a trim
8. (Zoology) zoology another name for ruff12
9. annoyance or irritation
[C13: of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German ruffelen to crumple, Old Norse hrufla to scratch]
ruffle
(ˈrʌfəl)n
(Music, other) a low continuous drumbeat
vb
(Music, other) (tr) to beat (a drum) with a low repetitive beat
[C18: from earlier ruff, of imitative origin]
ruffle
(ˈrʌfəl)vb
(intr) archaic to behave riotously or arrogantly; swagger
[C15: of obscure origin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ruf•fle1
(ˈrʌf əl)v. -fled, -fling,
n. v.t.
1. to destroy the smoothness or evenness of.
2. to erect (the feathers), as a bird in anger.
3. to disturb, vex, or irritate.
4. to turn (pages) rapidly.
5. to pass (cards) through the fingers rapidly in shuffling.
6. to draw up (cloth, lace, etc.) into a ruffle by gathering along one edge.
v.i. 7. to be or become ruffled.
n. 8. a break in the evenness of a surface.
9. a strip of cloth, lace, etc., gathered along one edge; used as a trimming, as on curtains.
10. something resembling this, as the ruff of a bird.
11. disturbance or vexation; irritation.
[1250–1300; ruffelen (v.); c. Low German ruffelen to crumple]
ruf′fly, adj.
ruf•fle2
(ˈrʌf əl)n., v. -fled, -fling. n.
1. a low, continuous beating of a drum.
v.t. 2. to beat (a drum) in this manner.
[1715–25; archaic ruff in same sense (perhaps imitative) + -le]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ruffle
Past participle: ruffled
Gerund: ruffling
| Imperative |
|---|
| ruffle |
| ruffle |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  ruffle - a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trimadornment - a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness jabot - a ruffle on the front of a woman's blouse or a man's shirt peplum - a flared ruffle attached to the waistline of a dress or jacket or blouse |
| 2. |  ruffle - a high tight collar fraise - a ruff for the neck worn in the 16th century | |
| 3. |  ruffle - a noisy fight | |
| Verb | 1. |  ruffle - stir up (water) so as to form ripples |
| 2. | ruffle - trouble or vex; "ruffle somebody's composure" | |
| 3. | ruffle - to walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others; "He struts around like a rooster in a hen house" walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet" | |
| 4. | ruffle - discompose; "This play is going to ruffle some people"; "She has a way of ruffling feathers among her colleagues" fluster - cause to be nervous or upset | |
| 5. | ruffle - twitch or flutter; "the paper flicked" | |
| 6. |  ruffle - mix so as to make a random order or arrangement; "shuffle the cards"manipulate - hold something in one's hands and move it reshuffle - shuffle again; "So as to prevent cheating, he was asked to reshuffle the cards" riffle - shuffle (playing cards) by separating the deck into two parts and riffling with the thumbs so the cards intermix cut - divide a deck of cards at random into two parts to make selection difficult; "Wayne cut"; "She cut the deck for a long time" | |
| 7. | ruffle - erect or fluff up; "the bird ruffled its feathers" loosen - make less dense; "loosen the soil" | |
| 8. |  ruffle - disturb the smoothness of; "ruffle the surface of the water"disarrange - destroy the arrangement or order of; "My son disarranged the papers on my desk" | |
| 9. | ruffle - pleat or gather into a ruffle; "ruffle the curtain fabric" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
ruffle
verb
1. disarrange, disorder, wrinkle, mess up, rumple, tousle, derange, discompose, dishevel She let the wind ruffle her hair. ripple, riffle, roughen, make ripples in The evening breeze ruffled the pond.
2. annoy, worry, trouble, upset, confuse, stir, disturb, rattle (informal), irritate, put out, unsettle, shake up (informal), harass, hassle (informal), agitate, unnerve, disconcert, disquiet, nettle, vex, fluster, perturb, faze, peeve (informal) My refusal to let him ruffle me infuriated him.
annoy ease, comfort, calm, compose, soothe, console, appease, solace, mollify
annoy ease, comfort, calm, compose, soothe, console, appease, solace, mollify
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
ruffle
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
ruffle
[ˈrʌfl]B. VT [+ surface of water] → agitar, rizar; [+ hair] → despeinar; [+ feathers] → erizar; [+ fabric] → fruncir; [+ bedclothes] → arrugar
nothing ruffles him → no se altera por nada
she wasn't at all ruffled → no se perturbó en lo más mínimo
to ruffle sb's feathers → herir las susceptibilidades de algn
to smooth sb's ruffled feathers → alisar las plumas erizadas de algn
nothing ruffles him → no se altera por nada
she wasn't at all ruffled → no se perturbó en lo más mínimo
to ruffle sb's feathers → herir las susceptibilidades de algn
to smooth sb's ruffled feathers → alisar las plumas erizadas de algn
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
ruffle
(ˈrafl) verb to make wrinkled or uneven, especially hair, feathers etc. The wind ruffled her hair; The bird ruffled its feathers in anger.alborotar, despeinar; encrespar, erizar
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.