Stiff
/stɪf/
Last Updated: January 2, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Scrabble:11 ptsWWF:11 pts5 letters
Definition of Stiff
noun
- An average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education, often a working stiff or lucky stiff.
"A Working Stiff's Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember was published in 2003."
- A person who is deceived, as a mark or pigeon in a swindle.
"She convinced the stiff to go to her hotel room, where her henchman was waiting to rob him."
- A cadaver; a dead person.
- A flop; a commercial failure.
- A person who leaves (especially a restaurant) without paying the bill.
verb
- To fail to pay that which one owes (implicitly or explicitly) to another, especially by departing hastily.
"Realizing he had forgotten his wallet, he stiffed the taxi driver when the cab stopped for a red light."
- To cheat someone
- To tip ungenerously
adjective
- (of an object) Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible.
- (of policies and rules and their application and enforcement) Inflexible; rigid.
- (of a person) Formal in behavior; unrelaxed.
- Harsh, severe.
"He was eventually caught, and given a stiff fine."
- (of muscles or parts of the body) Painful as a result of excessive or unaccustomed exercise.
"My legs are stiff after climbing that hill yesterday."