Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A person regarded as stupid or clumsy.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In popular superstition, a changeling; a foolish or otherwise defective child left by fairies in the place of another carried off by them.
- n. A dolt; an idiot; a blockhead; a simpleton.
Wiktionary
- n. obsolete An elf's child; a changeling left by fairies or goblins, hence, a deformed or foolish child.
- n. pejorative A person, especially a large male, who is clumsy or a simpleton; an idiot.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Originally, an elf's child; a changeling left by fairies or goblins; hence, a deformed or foolish child; a simpleton; an idiot.
- n. A clumsy or awkward person.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an awkward stupid person
Etymologies
- From auf, Old Norse álfr ("elf") ( > Norwegian bokmål alv). Akin to German Alb ("incubus"). (Wiktionary)
- Old Norse alfr, elf, silly person; see albho- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“This bulbous oaf is richer than his breakfast cheesecake.”
“We are only groping toward the effective expression oaf democratic doctrine, and today what do we see?”
“If you don't make her warm enough for wiving, you're an oaf, which is not in my blood -- nor your mother's, to be honest.”
“He pleads his dependence upon the word oaf God and his obedient regard to its directions: Quicken and deliver me according to thy word of promise, for I do not forget thy precepts.”
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon)
“Anagram for "oaf," from the man who famously took the "oaf of office.”
“His expression indicated that he’d never in his life been called an oaf.”
“We stare at each other for countless seconds, then he bends down and drives an 'oaf' from me when his shoulder meets my belly a bit harder than is really necessary.”
“The 'oaf' is apparently entertaining the troops in Afghanistan and staying in an operational post not in Kabul.”
“Cameron's so called health reforms assisted by his oaf of a Minister, Lansley will lead to even greater health inequalities in this country.”
The Guardian: NHS bans on operations gamble with patients' health, senior surgeon warns
“Older oaf appears and tells bobby about the law and warrants etc.”
Leaders TV Debate – Law & Order Summary SHOCK! « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘oaf’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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3-Letter Scrabble Words Which Do Not ...
A list of 3-letter words which cannot be formed by adding a letter to a 2-letter word (see Ken Clark's word lists found at http://www.seattlescrab...
ace, act, aff, aft, apo, app, apt, auk, ava, ave, avo, azo and 225 more...
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Mandles, Candles for Men
candles with a "manly" scent
a1 steak sauce, baseball glove, grillin' out, campfire, pigskin, bowling alley, musty locker room, chuck norris sweat, urinal deodorizer, bait shop, wet dog, hardware store and 210 more...
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UK Usage - Find US Equivalent
All these terms have a (different) American English equivalent. Wonder if you can identify them?
abridgement (abri..., accoutrement, accoutre, acknowledgement (..., opposite, advert, adaptor, adapter, sticking plaster, advertise, adviser (advisor ..., adze, aesthete and 1196 more...
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3-letter Scrabble Words
aah, aal, aas, aba, abo, abs, aby, ace, act, add, ado, ads and 995 more...
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3 Letter Words
A list of English words that are three letters long.
ace, act, ade, ado, add, ads, age, ago, ail, air, aim, all and 397 more...
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The Nerd
All the names any successful nerd can ever hope to be called.
dweeb, dork, drip, oaf, egghead, geek, twit, goofball, loser, swot, wimp, bonehead and 5 more...
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unkind words
unkind words or those refering them.
twit, gibe, blockhead, bonehead, cretin, dullard, imbecile, simpleton, clod, dunce, simp, ignoramus and 39 more...
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scoundrels and bastards
already several of these lists, but I wanted my own
varlet, scoundrel, slubberdegullion, bastard, hooligan, boor, churl, thug, cad, ne'er-do-well, miscreant, minx and 86 more...
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Insult Words
A rich collection of all the ways you can insult someone's intelligence.
idiot, cretin, moron, dimwit, nincompoop, meathead, addlepate, dingbat, dumbbell, dunce, fool, halfwit and 31 more...
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-ishness
I omit words such as thief, cad, or prude if a phoneme change or the addition or subtraction of a letter is required when combining with -ishness.
boor, self, child, wonk, man, dolt, Jew, oaf, Kurd, faint, fool, unself and 20 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, O
opacity, opaline, olfactory, orthoepy, orthoepy, oleaginous, obloquy, oasitic, obtrude, orthotic, overweening, ostinato and 125 more...
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Awesome Words, Part 2: More Common
pilgrim, indubitably, incorrigible, bombastic, histrionics, depredation, perspicuity, discombobulate, peregrination, ambulatory, redux, fractious and 164 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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Vocab++
Words as I learn them.
fetid, mezzanine, hiatus, austerity, subliminal, resplendent, implacable, impugn, debase, exiguous, cirque, holster and 2538 more...
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Words. Just words.
Our chief weapons are words, that's all. Just words. Only words, not justly words, that is.
That is to say that there are only words in this list, not words that are just, although s...profligacy, monty, the arc of history, luddite, peremptory, brusque, languid, callipygian, perniciously, insidiousness, camelot, perforce and 189 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for oaf.
reesetee My brother uses oof for exactly that sound. (He does it quite well. The sound, not the punching.) Nov 14, 2008
elgiad007 This word reminds me of pounding bread dough (or getting punched in the gut). Nov 14, 2008
chained_bear This has to be one of the best words ever. Feb 1, 2007