muff

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈməf How to pronounce muff (audio)
Synonyms of muff
: a warm tubular covering for the hands

Illustration of muff

Illustration of muff

muff

2 of 3

verb

muffed; muffing; muffs

transitive verb

1
: to handle awkwardly
muffed the interview
2
: to fail to hold (a ball) when attempting a catch

intransitive verb

1
: to act or do something stupidly or clumsily
I tried so hard and still muffed.
2
: to muff a ball compare fumble

muff

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
: a bungling performance
2
: a failure to hold a ball in attempting a catch

Synonyms of muff

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of muff in a Sentence

Verb He muffed his chance for a promotion. The outfielder muffed an easy catch.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Wide receiver Dameon Crow muffs the punt, and the Rams get the ball at Texas State's 28-yard line. — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 15 Oct. 2026 West Orange’s Yuto Kawamura-Johnson muffs a punt and Ocoee recovers. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
Special teams had their fair share of issues, too, with David Moore muffing a punt in the fourth quarter inside Tampa Bay’s red zone. — Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026 Boobie Feaster muffed the kickoff at the goal line, however, and SC started their drive at their own 7-yard-line. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for muff

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Dutch mof, from Middle French moufle mitten, from Medieval Latin muffula

Verb

probably from muff entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1599, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1846, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of muff was in 1599

Rhymes for muff

See All Rhymes for muff

Browse Nearby Words

MUF
muff
muffet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Muff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muff. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

muff

1 of 2 noun
ˈməf How to pronounce muff (audio)
: a soft thick tubelike covering with open ends in which both hands may be inserted for protection from cold

muff

2 of 2 noun
: a clumsy or bungled performance
especially : a failure to hold a ball in attempting a catch
muff verb
Etymology

Noun

from Dutch mof "a cover for the hands," from early French moufle "mitten"

Noun

probably from 1muff

More from Merriam-Webster on muff

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about muff

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All