1 piffle | Definition of piffle

piffle

verb
pif·​fle | \ ˈpi-fÉ™l How to pronounce piffle (audio) \
piffled; piffling\ ˈpi-​f(É™-​)liÅ‹ How to pronounce piffling (audio) \

Definition of piffle

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to talk or act in a trivial, inept, or ineffective way

piffle

noun

Definition of piffle (Entry 2 of 2)

: trivial nonsense pseudo-scientific piffle

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Examples of piffle in a Sentence

Noun

His story is complete piffle. the belief that soda is made out of acid is just piffle

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Though often dismissed as superstitious piffle, ghosts have proved surprisingly durable. The Economist, "The evolution of the ghost," 28 Oct. 2017 This is music for thinking adults, a welcome antidote to the puerile piffle that currently dominates the airwaves. Randy Lewis, latimes.com, "Don Henley on Randy Newman: 'The most misunderstood and underappreciated recording artist alive'," 4 Aug. 2017 And how much nicer a sentence that is than all that life-ruining piffle about the atopic character of literary space, an indigestible confection that deserves to be tossed from one of Loving’s trains, to languish by the wayside forever. Simon Winchester, New York Times, "Hollywood: ‘Stanley Kubrick and Me,’ and More JUNE 1, 2016," 1 June 2016 Rihanna’s involvement in this piece of joyful piffle is a sign of a few important trends in pop. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Summer of Cornball Superproducers," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'piffle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of piffle

Verb

1847, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1890, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for piffle

Verb

perhaps blend of piddle and trifle

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More Definitions for piffle

piffle

noun

English Language Learners Definition of piffle

informal + old-fashioned : words or ideas that are false or silly

More from Merriam-Webster on piffle

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with piffle

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for piffle