Meaning

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time..

Definitions by Sense

1. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time.
2. (originally Northern England, typically 'in a faff') A state of confused or frantic activity.
3. (UK, obsolete) A puff of smoke; a gust of wind.
4. (originally Yorkshire, now colloquial, intransitive, of air) To blow in puffs, blow gently.
5. (originally Yorkshire, archaic, transitive) To move (something) with a puff of air, to blow away.
6. (British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, intransitive) To waste time on an unproductive activity.

Example Sentences

Adjusting this television is a bit of a faff.

God it must be a faff having to get nigh-on naked every time your bladder runneth over, and imagine how much worse it must be if you only have a 20-second break to run off stage to the loo.

Breakfast in bed at the royal household is a massive faff. A page boy must carry the tray upstairs, but he's banned from actually serving it. So he leaves it on the floor by the bedroom door, whereupon a housemaid picks it up and knocks on said portal.

The fuss and faff meant Christmas had long since been drained of any joy and excitement.

The show is a carefully curated manifesto of “social success without faff”.

She's in a total faff about tonight's dinner party.

I knew May would be in a faff, and I was right. […] Half an hour later (still with plenty of time because I’d known there would be this fuss) we left with May clad in black.

“Shut t’ door, wilt-tu,” said Widow Goggin sharply; “thou’rt letting in faffs o’ wind. And tak’ thi shawl off.”

Word Forms

• faffs
• faffing
• faffed

Synonyms for faff

Related Words

When Should You Use Faff?

Use faff when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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