RUFFLE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does ruffle mean? 

• RUFFLE (noun)
  The noun RUFFLE has 3 senses:

1. a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim

2. a high tight collar

3. a noisy fight

  Familiarity information: RUFFLE used as a noun is uncommon.

• RUFFLE (verb)
  The verb RUFFLE has 9 senses:

1. stir up (water) so as to form ripples

2. trouble or vex

3. to walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others

4. discompose

5. twitch or flutter

6. mix so as to make a random order or arrangement

7. erect or fluff up

8. disturb the smoothness of

9. pleat or gather into a ruffle

  Familiarity information: RUFFLE used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RUFFLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

flounce; frill; furbelow; ruffle

Hypernyms ("ruffle" is a kind of...):

adornment (a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ruffle"):

gauffer; goffer (an ornamental frill made by pressing pleats)

jabot (a ruffle on the front of a woman's blouse or a man's shirt)

peplum (a flared ruffle attached to the waistline of a dress or jacket or blouse)

Derivation:

ruffle (pleat or gather into a ruffle)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A high tight collar

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

choker; neck ruff; ruff; ruffle

Hypernyms ("ruffle" is a kind of...):

collar; neckband (a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ruffle"):

fraise (a ruff for the neck worn in the 16th century)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A noisy fight

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

affray; disturbance; fray; ruffle

Hypernyms ("ruffle" is a kind of...):

combat; fight; fighting; scrap (the act of fighting; any contest or struggle)

• RUFFLE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Stir up (water) so as to form ripples

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

cockle; riffle; ripple; ruffle; undulate

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

flow; flux (move or progress freely as if in a stream)

"Ruffle" entails doing...:

fold; fold up; turn up (bend or lay so that one part covers the other)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Trouble or vex

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Context example:

ruffle somebody's composure

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

annoy; bother; chafe; devil; get at; get to; gravel; irritate; nark; nettle; rag; rile; vex (cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to ruffle Sue

Sense 3

Meaning:

To walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

cock; prance; ruffle; sashay; strut; swagger; tittup

Context example:

He struts around like a rooster in a hen house

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

walk (use one's feet to advance; advance by steps)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Discompose

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Context example:

She has a way of ruffling feathers among her colleagues

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

fluster (cause to be nervous or upset)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Twitch or flutter

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

flick; riffle; ruffle

Context example:

the paper flicked

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Mix so as to make a random order or arrangement

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

mix; ruffle; shuffle

Context example:

shuffle the cards

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

manipulate (hold something in one's hands and move it)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "ruffle"):

reshuffle (shuffle again)

riffle (shuffle (playing cards) by separating the deck into two parts and riffling with the thumbs so the cards intermix)

cut (divide a deck of cards at random into two parts to make selection difficult)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Erect or fluff up

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

fluff; ruffle

Context example:

the bird ruffled its feathers

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

loosen (make less dense)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 8

Meaning:

Disturb the smoothness of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

mess up; ruffle; ruffle up; rumple

Context example:

ruffle the surface of the water

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

disarrange (destroy the arrangement or order of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

Pleat or gather into a ruffle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

pleat; ruffle

Context example:

ruffle the curtain fabric

Hypernyms (to "ruffle" is one way to...):

fold; fold up; turn up (bend or lay so that one part covers the other)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

ruffle (a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim)

 Context examples 

“I am from Beaulieu Abbey, and I have no need to beg,” said Alleyne, who was all of a tremble now that the ruffle was over.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

With an effort Dr. Sterndale recovered his ruffled composure.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

My aunt, a little ruffled by the combat, marched past them into the house, with great dignity, and took no notice of their presence, until they were announced by Janet.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The evening passed with external smoothness, though almost every mind was ruffled; and the music which Sir Thomas called for from his daughters helped to conceal the want of real harmony.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Feeling very much ruffled, she went and stood at a quiet window to cool her cheeks, for the tight dress gave her an uncomfortably brilliant color.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

I was compelled to wear the same ruffles upon two consecutive days.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He then sat in deep thought for a time, and I could see by his ruffled brow that this grim discovery had not, in his opinion, advanced us much in our inquiry.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Don’t let this ruffle your feathers—it is better to know someone’s character than to be kept in the dark.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

It interested me, even at that moment, to see, that, whilst the face of white set passion worked convulsively over the bowed head, the hands tenderly and lovingly stroked the ruffled hair.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The sun had just set, the sea breeze was rustling and tumbling in the woods and ruffling the grey surface of the anchorage; the tide, too, was far out, and great tracts of sand lay uncovered; the air, after the heat of the day, chilled me through my jacket.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)