Phrase guide

in the buff

prep_phrase · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

Nude.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, informal

Examples

  • She was in the buff on the beach.
  • The streaker ran across the playing field in the buff.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

(used informally) completely unclothed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bare-assed, bare-ass, in the altogether, in the raw, raw, peeled, naked as a jaybird, stark naked

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From buff (“bare skin”, literally “brownish yellow”), an allusion to the color of tanned light skin.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Faroese: heilt nakin — nude
  • Faroese: spilnakin — nude
  • Faroese: blóðnakin — nude
  • French: à poil — nude
  • Galician: en coiros — nude
  • Galician: en porrancho — nude
  • German: völlig nackig — nude
  • German: splitterfasernackt — nude
  • Russian: го́лый (gólyj) — nude
  • Russian: наго́й (nagój) — nude
  • Russian: обнажённый (obnažónnyj) — nude
  • Russian: голышо́м (golyšóm) — nude
  • Russian: в чём мать родила́ (v čom matʹ rodilá) — nude
  • Spanish: en pelotas — nude