- 1to disturb the smooth surface of something, so that it is not even ruffle something She ruffled his hair affectionately. A light breeze ruffled the surface of the lake. ruffle something up The bird ruffled up its feathers.
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- 2[often passive] ruffle somebody to make someone annoyed, worried, or upset synonym fluster Nothing ever seems to ruffle Susan. She was obviously ruffled by his question. He never gets ruffled, even under pressure. Idioms
ruffle
verbNAmE//ˈrʌfl//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they ruffle he / she / it ruffles
past simple ruffled
-ing form ruffling
to annoy or upset someone or a group of people The senator's speech ruffled a few feathers in the business world.
to make someone feel less angry or offended
Check pronunciation: ruffle