1
a
: not easily bent : rigid
a stiff collar
b
: lacking in suppleness or flexibility
stiff muscles
c
: impeded in movement
—used of a mechanism
a truck's stiff suspension
d
2
3
: hard fought
stiff competition
4
5
: of a dense or glutinous consistency : thick
7
: not easily heeled over by an external force (such as the wind)
a stiff ship
stiffed; stiffing; stiffs
1
a
: to refuse to pay or tip
stiffed the waiter
b
: cheat
stiffed him in a business deal
c
: stick sense 7a
stiffed us with the bar bill
2
: snub sense 3
stiffed sportswriters after the game
: to fail commercially
the movie stiffed at the box office
Synonyms
Examples of stiff in a Sentence
Adjective
When I got out of bed this morning my back was stiff as a board.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff.
Noun
That poor stiff never gets a break.
They have the kind of luxuries the average working stiff can't afford.
Verb
the actress has a reputation for stiffing the press at red-carpet events
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Durot, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
The putty must be stiff so it can be molded into any shape or thickness to keep the candle solidified in its place.
—Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2024
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Crypto, 31 Mar. 2023
The Amityville demon jumps from the single mom into (stock footage of) a bear, a stiff-looking CGI shark, and the internet, always jumping back to its host.
—Josh Bell, Vulture, 19 July 2022
Al Pacino, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
Yes, the central gimmick of this movie (which is clever) hinges on how the agents and assassins who do the real work are the working-class stiffs who aren't plucked from the Ivy League.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2024
Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2024
Owning versus renting Owning a unit can cost less each month than renting, but stiff down payments make ownership impossible for most, says Nishant Sondhi, a real estate agent and fund manager who raises money for developments in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
—Hillary Chura, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stiff 
Adjective
About half of that decline is due to the electric vehicle maker’s stock falling 14%, with stiffer competition and softer demand for EVs contributing to four straight quarterly earnings misses.
—Matt Durot, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
The putty must be stiff so it can be molded into any shape or thickness to keep the candle solidified in its place.
—Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2024
Adverb
The 45,000-piece collection of stiff-looking Trumps in a variety of poses and costumes—like the one shown above—have seen a 445% increase in sales, about $186,000, over the past 24 hours, according to CryptoSlam.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Crypto, 31 Mar. 2023
The Amityville demon jumps from the single mom into (stock footage of) a bear, a stiff-looking CGI shark, and the internet, always jumping back to its host.
—Josh Bell, Vulture, 19 July 2022
Noun
Cookie returned to his post at the bar, where seven or eight working stiffs were lined up, and the two women stood in front of that big, wide window in broad daylight and began passionately kissing.
—Al Pacino, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
Yes, the central gimmick of this movie (which is clever) hinges on how the agents and assassins who do the real work are the working-class stiffs who aren't plucked from the Ivy League.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2024
Verb
While sage grown as an annual usually won't turn woody, sages are semi-woody shrubs and will start to thicken and get woody and stiff over the years.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2024
Owning versus renting Owning a unit can cost less each month than renting, but stiff down payments make ownership impossible for most, says Nishant Sondhi, a real estate agent and fund manager who raises money for developments in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
—Hillary Chura, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stiff
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stiff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stiff
Cite this Entry
“Stiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stiff. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stiff
1 of 3 adjective1
a
: not easily bent : rigid
b
: not easily moved
stiff muscles
stiff valves
2
a
: marked by moral courage
b
: not easy or graceful in manner
3
: hard fought
a stiff fight
4
a
: exerting great force : strong
a stiff wind
b
: potent sense 2b
a stiff dose
5
: not flowing easily : thick
beat egg whites until stiff
6
a
: harsh sense 3, severe
a stiff penalty
b
: rugged
stiff terrain
7
: expensive sense 2, steep
a stiff price
stiffly
adverb
stiffness
noun
stiff
2 of 3 adverb1
: in a stiff manner
2
: to a stiff state or condition
frozen stiff
3
: to an extreme degree
bored stiff
Medical Definition
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