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Inflections of 'ruffle v ⇒ conjugate )ruffles v 3rd person singular ruffling v pres p ruffled v past ruffled v past p
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026 ruf•fle1 /ˈrʌfəl/USA pronunciation
v., -fled, -fling, n. v.
to interfere with the smoothness of:[ ~ + object] to cause the feathers to stand up straight, as a bird in anger:[ ~ + object] to disturb or irritate:[ ~ + object] to turn (pages) rapidly: [ ~ + object] idly ruffling pages of the book. [ no object] idly ruffling through the book. n. [ countable ] a break in the smoothness or evenness of a surface. Clothing a strip of cloth, etc., gathered along one edge and used as a trimming on a dress, etc.Birds something resembling this, as the ruff of a bird.Idioms
Idioms ruffle someone's feathers , to upset or annoy someone:If you don't speak politely to him, you'll ruffle his feathers and get him angrier.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026 ruf•fle1
(ruf′ əl),USA pronunciation v., -fled, -fling, n. v.t.
to destroy the smoothness or evenness of:The wind ruffled the sand. to erect (the feathers), as a bird in anger. to disturb, vex, or irritate:to be ruffled by a perceived slight. to turn (the pages of a book) rapidly. to pass (cards) through the fingers rapidly in shuffling. Clothing to draw up (cloth, lace, etc.) into a ruffle by gathering along one edge.v.i.
to be or become ruffled;Flags ruffle in the wind. to be or become vexed or irritated. to put on airs; n.
a break in the smoothness or evenness of some surface; Clothing a strip of cloth, lace, etc., drawn up by gathering along one edge and used as a trimming on a dress, blouse, etc.Birds some object resembling this, as the ruff of a bird.disturbance or vexation;It is impossible to live without some daily ruffles to our composure. a disturbed state of mind; 1250–1300; Middle English ruffelen (verb, verbal); cognate with Low German ruffelen to crumple, rumple; compare Old Norse hruffa to scratch ruf′ fly , adj. ruf′ fler , n. 1. disarrange, disorder, wrinkle, rumple. 3. upset, annoy, agitate. 10. perturbation, flurry, agitation. 11. frill, ruff. 1. smooth, arrange, order. 3. soothe, compose. 13. tranquillity. ruf•fle2
(ruf′ əl),USA pronunciation n., v., -fled, -fling. n.
a low, continuous beating of a drum. v.t.
to beat (a drum) in this manner. archaic ruff in same sense (perh. imitative) + -le 1715–25
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
ruffle /ˈrʌfə l / vb to make, be, or become irregular or rumpled : to ruffle a child's hair , a breeze ruffling the water to annoy, irritate, or be annoyed or irritated (transitive ) to make into a ruffle; pleat (of a bird) to erect (its feathers) in anger, display, etc (transitive ) to flick (cards, pages, etc) rapidly with the fingers n an irregular or disturbed surface a strip of pleated material used for decoration or as a trim another name for ruff1 annoyance or irritation Etymology: 13th Century: of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German ruffelen to crumple, Old Norse hrufla to scratch ruffle /ˈrʌfə l / n a low continuous drumbeat vb (transitive ) to beat (a drum) with a low repetitive beat Etymology: 18th Century: from earlier ruff , of imitative origin
'ruffle ' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):