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7 VERB Stuff is used in front of nouns to emphasize that you do not care about something, or do not want it. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ [V n] Ultimately my attitude was: stuff them. □ [V n] Stuff your money. We don't want a handout.

8 PHRASE If you say that someone knows their stuff , you mean that they are good at doing something because they know a lot about it. [INFORMAL , APPROVAL ] □  These chaps know their stuff after seven years of war.

stu ffed a ni|mal (stuffed animals ) N‑COUNT Stuffed animals are toys that are made of cloth filled with a soft material and which look like animals. [AM ] in BRIT, use soft toy

stu ffed shi rt (stuffed shirts ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone, especially someone with an important position, as a stuffed shirt , you mean that they are extremely formal and old-fashioned. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □  In a pinstriped suit he instantly looked like a stuffed shirt.

stu ffed to y (stuffed toys ) N‑COUNT A stuffed toy is the same as a stuffed animal . [AM ] in BRIT, use soft toy

stuff|ing /stʌ f I ŋ/ (stuffings )

1 N‑VAR Stuffing is a mixture of food that is put inside a bird such as a chicken, or a vegetable such as a pepper, before it is cooked. □  Chestnuts can be used at Christmas time, as a stuffing for turkey, guinea fowl or chicken.

2 N‑UNCOUNT Stuffing is material that is used to fill things such as cushions or toys in order to make them firm or solid.

stuffy /stʌ fi/ (stuffier , stuffiest )

1 ADJ Stuffy people or institutions are formal and old-fashioned. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  Why were grown-ups always so stuffy and slow to recognize good ideas? □  …a firm of lawyers in Lincoln's Inn, immensely stuffy and respectable.

2 ADJ If it is stuffy in a place, it is unpleasantly warm and there is not enough fresh air. □  It was hot and stuffy in the classroom.

stul|ti|fy /stʌ lt I fa I / (stultifies , stultifying , stultified ) VERB If something stultifies you, it makes you feel empty or dull in your mind, because it is so boring. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] This attitude stultifies scientific progress. ●  stul|ti|fy|ing ADJ □  A rigid routine can be stultifying and boring.

stum|ble /stʌ mb ^ə l/ (stumbles , stumbling , stumbled )

1 VERB If you stumble , you put your foot down awkwardly while you are walking or running and nearly fall over. □ [V ] He stumbled and almost fell. □ [V prep/adv] I stumbled into the phone box and dialled 999. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Stumble is also a noun. □  I make it into the darkness with only one stumble.

2 VERB If you stumble while you are reading aloud or speaking, you make a mistake, and have to pause before saying the words properly. □ [V + over ] …his voice wavered and he stumbled over the words at one point. [Also V ]

▸  stumble across or stumble on PHRASAL VERB If you stumble across something or stumble on it, you find it or discover it unexpectedly. □ [V P n] I stumbled across a simple method for understanding where my money went. □ [V P n] History relates that they stumbled on a magnificent waterfall.

stu m|bling block (stumbling blocks ) N‑COUNT A stumbling block is a problem which stops you from achieving something. □ [+ to/in ] His lack of speed is a major stumbling block to a Premiership return.

stump /stʌ mp/ (stumps , stumping , stumped )

1 N‑COUNT A stump is a small part of something that remains when the rest of it has been removed or broken off. □  If you have a tree stump, check it for fungus. □ [+ of ] The tramp produced a stump of candle from his deep pockets.