Meanings
cuff1
present singular third person cuffs · participle present cuffing · participle past cuffed · past cuffed
- transitiveTo furnish with cuffs.
cuff2
present singular third person cuffs · participle present cuffing · participle past cuffed · past cuffed
- transitiveTo handcuff.
- slangtransitiveTo enter into a committed romantic relationship with (someone).
cuffing season
4 more examples
This fr how it be, never cuffing another Latina woman from New York ever again💀
2023 April 3, @SoraWasntHere, Twitter, archived from the original on 23 Aug 2024If your promiscuous, men who know females just date around could take advantage of that, plus a lot wouldn't want to cuff a female they know isn't doing pure things.
2023 December 14, u/No-Spot2923, “What exactly makes a woman only good enough for sex and flings but not actual commitment?”, in Reddit, r/dating_advice, archived from the original on 23 Aug 2024After my last relationship I was so amped to be happy and single, but it's funny how when you are that it's as if potential SOs gravitate even more. It wasn't too long of that before I naturally got cuffed and I'm happy in a relationship but got damn I do wish I had more time happy and single
2024 March 11, u/MobyDukakis, “Being happy single is not celebrated half as much as being a happy couple.”, in Reddit, r/Showerthoughts, archived from the original on 23 Aug 2024Whenever one of my boys cuffs a girl from the club, all I can do is chuckle and shake my head. We all know how it ends.
2024 May 23, @CzarCule, Twitter, archived from the original on 23 Aug 2024
cuff3
present singular third person cuffs · participle present cuffing · participle past cuffed · past cuffed
- transitiveTo hit, as a reproach, particularly with the open palm to the head; to slap.
I swear I'll cuff you, if you strike again.
c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]1 more example
[They] with their quills did all the hurt they could, / And cuff'd the tender chickens from their food.
1687, [John Dryden], “(please specify the page number)”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC - intransitiveTo fight; to scuffle; to box.
While the peers cuff to make the rabble sport.
1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Eighth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC - To buffet.
cuffed by the gale
1855, Alfred Tennyson, “Maud”, in Maud, and Other Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 24
plural cuffs
- A blow, especially with the open hand; a box; a slap.
many a bitter kick and cuff
1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC1 more example
The Sarazin sore daunted with the buffe / Snatcheth his sword, and fiercely to him flies; / Who well it wards, and quyteth cuff with cuff:
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 17
cuff4
Cuff5
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe lap consisting of a turned-back hem encircling the end of the sleeve or leg
nounshackle that consists of a metal loop that can be locked around the wrist; usually used in pairs
verbconfine or restrain with or as if with manacles or handcuffs
verbto get involved in a relationship with another person
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
cuff · noun, verb
- Proto-Germanic*kupjō“cap”
- Proto-West Germanic*kuppju
- Frankish*kuf(f)ja“headdress”
- Medieval Latincofia
- Old Englishcuffie“hood, cap”
- Middle Englishcuffe
- Englishcuff
From Middle English cuffe, coffe (“glove, mitten”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old English cuffie (“hood, cap”), from Medieval Latin cofia, cofea, cuffa, cuphia (“helmet, headdress, hood, cap”), from Frankish *kuf(f)ja (“headdress”), from Proto-West Germanic *kuppju, from Proto-Germanic *kupjō (“cap”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →cuff · verb, noun
- Proto-Indo-European*skewbʰ-
- Swedishkuffa“to knock, thrust, strike”
- Norwegiankuffa“to push, shove”
- Englishcuff
1520, “to hit”, apparently of North Germanic origin, from Norwegian kuffa (“to push, shove”) or Swedish kuffa (“to knock, thrust, strike”), from the Proto-Germanic base *skuf- (skuƀ), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-, see also Lithuanian skùbti (“to hurry”), Polish skubać (“to pluck”), Albanian humb (“to lose”). Germanic cognates include Low German kuffen (“to box the ears”), German kuffen (“to thrash”). More at scuff, shove, scuffle.
More words from Norwegian, Swedish, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Cuff · proper noun
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóymos“village, home”
- Proto-Celtic*koymo-“nice, dear”
- Middle Englishcuffe“glove”
- EnglishCuff
Various etymologies: * As an English surname, from Middle English cuffe (“glove”); see cuff. * As an Irish surname, from mac duibh (“son of the dark one”), see Duff. * As a Cornish surname, from cuf (“kind, dear”), from Proto-Celtic *koymo- (“nice, dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos (“village, home”); see home.
More words from Middle English, Proto-Celtic, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian манше́т, ръкавела
- манше́т (manšét)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- ръкавела (răkavela)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- манше́т (manšét)the end of a pants leg, folded up
- пляскам (pljaskam)To hit, as a reproach
Catalan punyet, bocamàniga
- punyetthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- bocamànigathe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Chinese Mandarin 袖口
- 袖口 (xiùkǒu)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Czech manžeta
- manžetathe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Danish manchet
- manchetthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Dutch manchet, voormouw
- manchetthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- voormouwthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Esperanto manumo
- manumothe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Finnish hihansuu, kalvosin
- hihansuuthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- kalvosinthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- lahkeenkäännethe end of a pants leg, folded up
- housunkäännethe end of a pants leg, folded up
- upslaakithe end of a pants leg, folded up
- läimäyttääTo hit, as a reproach
French manchette, revers
- manchettethe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- reversthe end of a pants leg, folded up
- giflerTo hit, as a reproach
- souffleterTo hit, as a reproach
German Manschette, Bündchen
- Manschettethe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- Bündchenthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- Ärmelbündchenthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- Hemdmanschettethe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- Luftmanschettethe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- Aufschlagthe end of a pants leg, folded up
- Umschlagthe end of a pants leg, folded up
- Ärmelaufschlagthe end of a pants leg, folded up
- Hosenaufschlagthe end of a pants leg, folded up
- ohrfeigenTo hit, as a reproach
- einen Klaps gebenTo hit, as a reproach
- abfotzenTo hit, as a reproach
Greek μανσέτα, ρεβέρ
- μανσέτα (manséta)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- ρεβέρ (revér)the end of a pants leg, folded up
Hebrew חֵפֶת
- חֵפֶת (hepet)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Hungarian mandzsetta
- mandzsettathe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Indonesian manset
- mansetthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Irish cufa
- cufathe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Italian polsino, orlo
- polsinothe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- orlothe end of a pants leg, folded up
Japanese 袖口, カフ
- 袖口 (sodeguchi)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- カフ (kafu)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Korean 수구, 커프스
- 수구 (sugu)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- 커프스 (keopeuseu)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Malay cekak
- cekakthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Norwegian Bokmål mansjett
- mansjettthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Polish mankiet, mankiet
- mankietthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- mankietthe end of a pants leg, folded up
Portuguese punho, barra
- punhothe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- barrathe end of a pants leg, folded up
Romanian manșetă, manșetă
- manșetăthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- manșetăthe end of a pants leg, folded up
- marginethe end of a pants leg, folded up
Russian манже́та, обшла́г
- манже́та (manžéta)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- обшла́г (obšlág)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- отворо́т (otvorót)the end of a pants leg, folded up
Scottish Gaelic bann-dùirn
- bann-dùirnthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Slovak manžeta
- manžetathe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Spanish puño, ruedo
- puñothe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- ruedothe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- bajothe end of a pants leg, folded up
- vueltathe end of a pants leg, folded up
- bastillathe end of a pants leg, folded up
- abofetearTo hit, as a reproach
Swedish manschett
- manschettthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Tagalog punyos
- punyosthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Turkish manşet
- manşetthe end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Ukrainian манже́та, обшла́г
- манже́та (manžéta)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
- обшла́г (obšláh)the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
Welsh cernodio
- cernodioTo hit, as a reproach
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cuff
Cite this entry
cuff. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cuff
“cuff.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cuff. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cuff,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cuff.
Source: cuff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.