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WordReference can't find this exact phrase, but click on each word to see its meaning:
We could not find the full phrase you were looking for. The entry for "stiff" is displayed below. Also see: bit
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026stiff /stɪf/USA pronunciation
adj., -er, -est, n., adv., v. adj. - rigid or firm:a stiff collar.
- not moving or working easily:The garage door handle gets stiff in the cold.
- (of a person or animal) moving with difficulty or with pain, as from cold, age, etc.:He was stiff from back pain.
- strong;
forceful;
powerful:stiff winds.
- strong to the taste or system, as a beverage or medicine:[before a noun]a few stiff drinks at the bar.
- stubbornly continued:a stiff battle.
- very formal or not very friendly:She gave me a stiff, cold smile.
- lacking ease and grace;
clumsy or awkward:a stiff style of writing.
- laborious or difficult, as a task:Analyzing all those sales figures was a stiff assignment.
- severe or harsh, as a penalty or demand:a stiff fine.
- unusually high or great;
excessive:a stiff price.
- relatively firm in consistency;
thick;
nearly solid:Beat the egg whites until stiff.
n. [countable]
- Slang Terms
- a dead body;
corpse.
- one who is too formal and unfriendly.
- a poor tipper;
someone not generous;
a tightwad:That stiff left her only fifty cents as a tip!
- a drunk.
- a fellow:He's a lucky stiff, winning the lotto on his first try.
adv. - in or to a firm or rigid state.
- completely, intensely, or extremely:scared stiff; bored stiff.
v. [~ + object]
- Slang Termsto fail to tip or pay (a waiter, etc.):The customer stiffed the bartender.
stiff•ly, adv.
stiff•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026stiff
(stif ),USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, n., adv., v.
adj. - rigid or firm;
difficult or impossible to bend or flex:a stiff collar.
- not moving or working easily:The motor was a little stiff from the cold weather.
- (of a person or animal) not supple;
moving with difficulty, as from cold, age, exhaustion, or injury.
- strong;
forceful;
powerful:stiff winds; The fighter threw a stiff right to his opponent's jaw.
- strong or potent to the taste or system, as a beverage or medicine:He was cold and wanted a good stiff drink.
- resolute;
firm in purpose;
unyielding;
stubborn.
- stubbornly continued:a stiff battle.
- firm against any tendency to decrease, as stock-market prices.
- rigidly formal;
cold and unfriendly, as people, manners, or proceedings.
- lacking ease and grace;
awkward:a stiff style of writing.
- excessively regular or formal, as a design;
not graceful in form or arrangement.
- laborious or difficult, as a task.
- severe or harsh, as a penalty or demand.
- excessive;
unusually high or great:$50 is pretty stiff to pay for that.
- firm from tension;
taut:to keep a stiff rein.
- relatively firm in consistency, as semisolid matter;
thick:a stiff jelly; a stiff batter.
- dense or compact;
not friable:stiff soil.
- Nautical, Naval Terms(of a vessel) having a high resistance to rolling;
stable (opposed to crank).
- Scottish Termssturdy, stout, or strongly built.
- British Terms[Australian Slang.]out of luck;
unfortunate.
n. - Slang Terms
- a dead body;
corpse.
- a formal or priggish person.
- a poor tipper;
tightwad.
- a drunk.
- Slang Terms
- a fellow:lucky stiff; poor stiff.
- a tramp;
hobo.
- a laborer.
- Slang Terms
- a forged check.
- a promissory note or bill of exchange.
- a letter or note, esp. if secret or smuggled.
- Slang Termsa contestant, esp. a racehorse, sure to lose.
adv. - in or to a firm or rigid state:The wet shirt was frozen stiff.
- completely, intensely, or extremely:I'm bored stiff by these lectures. We're scared stiff.
v.t. - Slang Termsto fail or refuse to tip (a waiter, porter, etc.).
- Slang Termsto cheat;
gyp;
do out of:The company stiffed me out of a week's pay.
- bef. 1000; Middle English (adjective, adjectival and adverb, adverbial); Old English stīf; cognate with German steif; akin to stifle1, steeve1
stiff′ly, adv.
stiff′ness, n.
1. unbending, unyielding. See firm 1. 6. unrelenting, resolved, obstinate, pertinacious. 9. reserved, constrained, starched, prim. 10. graceless, inelegant.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stiff /stɪf/ adj - not easily bent; rigid; inflexible
- not working or moving easily or smoothly: a stiff handle
- difficult to accept in its severity or harshness: a stiff punishment
- moving with pain or difficulty; not supple: a stiff neck
- difficult; arduous: a stiff climb
- unrelaxed or awkward; formal
- firmer than liquid in consistency; thick or viscous
- powerful; strong: a stiff breeze, a stiff drink
- excessively high: a stiff price
- lacking grace or attractiveness
- stubborn or stubbornly maintained: a stiff fight
- obsolete tightly stretched; taut
- slang chiefly Austral unlucky
- slang intoxicated
- stiff upper lip ⇒ See
- stiff with ⇒ informal amply provided with
n slang - a corpse
- anything thought to be a loser or a failure; flop
adv - completely or utterly: bored stiff, frozen stiff
vb - (intransitive) slang to fail: the film stiffed
- (transitive) slang chiefly US to cheat or swindle
Etymology: Old English stīf; related to Old Norse stīfla to dam up, Middle Low German stīf stiff, Latin stīpēs wooden post, stīpāre to pressˈstiffish adj ˈstiffly adv ˈstiffness n
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