Standard Lemma guide

toff

noun · 3 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /tɒf/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Received-Pronunciation: /tɔːf/
  • General-American: tôf
  • General-American: /tɔf/
  • cot-caught-merger: tŏf
  • cot-caught-merger: /tɑf/
  • rhymes with -ɒf
  • rhymes with -ɔːf
  • CMU ARPABET: T AO1 F Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An elegantly dressed person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: macaroni, popinjay, swell, barbermonger, beau, blade, blood, buck, carpet knight, cockscomb, dandy, dike, dood, dude, dudelet, exquisite, fashionable, fast man, fine gentleman, fop, foretop, fribble, gallant, go, jack-a-dandy, Jemmy-Jessamy, jetter, masher, metrosexual, mignon, petit maître, pretty boy, prig, puss-gentleman, smart, spark, spiff, tippy, toff

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person of the upper class or with pretensions to it, who usually communicates an air of superiority.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nob, swell, yah

Antonyms: oik, pleb

3

noun

Meaning 3

informal term for an upper-class or wealthy person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nob

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: man of means, rich man, wealthy man

History

Etymology

Probably an alteration of tuft, referring to the gold tassel on the cap worn by titled undergraduates at English universities.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: конте (konte) — 1. (obsolete) An elegantly dressed person
  • Bulgarian: франт (frant) — 1. (obsolete) An elegantly dressed person
  • German: Stutzer — 1. (obsolete) An elegantly dressed person
  • German: Geck — 1. (obsolete) An elegantly dressed person
  • Czech: snob — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Czech: pracháč — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Dutch: fijne mijnheer — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Dutch: banjer — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • French: bourge — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • German: Pinkel — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Portuguese: alta-roda — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Portuguese: grã-fino — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Portuguese: granfa — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Portuguese: bacana — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Russian: дже́нтльмен (džéntlʹmen) — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Russian: бе́лая кость (bélaja kostʹ) — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Spanish: gente de arriba — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Spanish: ricachón — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Spanish: pijo — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it
  • Spanish: concheto — 2. (Britain, derogatory) A person of the upper class, or with pretensions to it