stiff

adjective
UK: /stɪf/
US: /stɪf/

  1. Difficult to bend or move; rigid.

    1. The new shoes are very stiff.
    2. The old door has a stiff lock that's hard to turn with one hand.

  2. Firm and not easily changed.

    1. He stood stiff and waited.
    2. The politician made a stiff formal statement to the press about the issue.

  3. Severe or strong.

    1. I had a stiff punishment.
    2. The company faces a stiff fine if it doesn't comply with the regulations.

Synonyms

corpse rigid inflexible firm harsh severe
stiff verb

  1. To become rigid or inflexible.

    1. The glue will stiff quickly.
    2. The old car's suspension began to stiff after years of use.

  2. To fail to give someone a tip.

    1. Don't stiff the waitress.
    2. They tried to stiff me on the bill by adding extra charges.
stiff noun

  1. A dead body (slang).

    1. The stiff was in the morgue.
    2. The detectives found a stiff hidden in the abandoned warehouse after the shootout.
stiff adverb

  1. To an extreme or excessive degree (informal).

    1. She was standing stiff upright.
    2. The wind blew the branches stiff against the side of the house all night.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "stiff" in English means: Difficult to bend or move; rigid., Firm and not easily changed., Severe or strong..

The phonetic transcription of "stiff" is /stɪf/ in British English and /stɪf/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "stiff": corpse, rigid, inflexible, firm, harsh, severe.

Example usage of "stiff": "The new shoes are very stiff.". More examples on the page.