Chaff Meaning in English

word

US

UK

Definition

The outer, dry covering of grains like wheat, removed during processing; also used figuratively for something worthless or unimportant.

Usage & Nuances

Used both literally (farming, grain processing) and figuratively (talking about things or people without real value). Common phrase: 'separating the wheat from the chaff' (finding what's valuable). Uncommon in everyday speech unless in agricultural or metaphorical context.

• Spanish: paja (trigo) - cosa sin valor
• Portuguese (BR): palha (grãos) - coisa sem valor
• Portuguese (PT): palha (cereais) - coisa sem valor
• Chinese (Simplified): 糠 - 无价值的东西
• Chinese (Traditional): 糠 - 無價值的東西
• Hindi: भूसी - बेकार चीज़
• Arabic: نخالة (الحبوب) - شيء عديم القيمة
• Bengali: তুষ - আবর্জনা (অপ্রয়োজনীয় বিষয়)
• Russian: полова - шелуха (фигурально: пустое)
• Japanese: もみがら - 取るに足らないもの（比喩）
• Vietnamese: trấu - thứ vô giá trị (nghĩa bóng)
• Korean: 겨 - 쓸모없는 것(비유적으로)
• Turkish: saman - önemsiz şey (mecaz anlamda)
• Urdu: بھوسا - فضول چیز (مجازاً)
• Indonesian: sekam - hal yang tak berharga (makna kiasan)

Example Sentences

Farmers remove the chaff from the wheat before selling it.

basic

The wind blew away the chaff, leaving the seeds behind.

basic

We should separate the useful facts from the chaff.

basic

Don't worry about their criticism—it's just chaff.

natural

It takes a while, but you'll learn to tell the wheat from the chaff.

natural

There's so much information online; sometimes it feels impossible to sort the chaff from the important stuff.

natural