fuzz
fuzz — noun
1. short, soft, fine hairs that grow on a person's skin or cover the surface of a p
short, soft, fine hairs that grow on a person's skin or cover the surface of a plant, fruit, or piece of fabric.
The peach had a layer of fuzz on its skin when Ryan bit into it.
uncountable noun — fine hair on fruit or skin
Kwame noticed the soft fuzz on his little sister's cheek as she slept.
Mayumi used a lint roller to remove the fuzz from her black sweater.
A fine fuzz covered the stems of the tomato plants in the garden.
Tara laughed at the sight of her puppy, still covered in soft baby fuzz.
用法筆記
In this sense, fuzz is an uncountable noun — you cannot say 'a fuzz' when referring to hair or fur. Use 'a piece of fuzz' or 'a bit of fuzz' for a single strand or clump.
常見錯誤
2. a slang word used to refer to police officers or the police force, especially in
a slang word used to refer to police officers or the police force, especially in informal or old-fashioned gangster-style contexts.
The street vendor warned his friend to leave quickly because the fuzz was coming.
slang: 'the fuzz' = the police
Bilal told his roommate to keep the music down or the fuzz would show up.
The old gangster movie had characters constantly trying to outrun the fuzz.
A car full of teenagers sped away when someone spotted the fuzz at the corner.
- the police
neutral, standard term — no slang connotation
- the cops
also informal, but more common in modern everyday speech than 'the fuzz'
用法筆記
Always used with 'the' ('the fuzz'). This term originated in 1920s American gangster slang and now sounds dated or playful. Avoid using it in formal or serious discussions about law enforcement.
常見錯誤
3. a hazy, unclear appearance of something that is hard to see or remember clearly
a hazy, unclear appearance of something that is hard to see or remember clearly — like the blurry edges of a photograph or a jumbled memory.
Through the fog, the streetlights appeared as a soft fuzz of orange light.
uncountable — visual blur/haze
After a sleepless night, Gabriela saw a fuzz at the edges of her vision.
The photograph was ruined by a strange fuzz over everyone's faces in the frame.
Eve remembered the concert only as a fuzz of noise and flashing lights.
用法筆記
Can be used both literally (a blurry visual effect) and figuratively (a confused or indistinct memory). The countable form ('a fuzz') is possible here, unlike the HAIR sense.
fuzz — verb
- fuzzpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fuzzes3rd person singular
- fuzzing-ing form
- fuzzedpast simple
1. to produce or become covered in small soft fibres or particles that come loose f
to produce or become covered in small soft fibres or particles that come loose from the surface of fabric, wool, or similar material.
The old wool blanket fuzzed onto Eitan's dark trousers as he sat on the couch.
intransitive — fabric shedding fibres
Cheap paper towels fuzz when you rub them too hard against a glass surface.
After several months of use, the cotton sofa cushions started to fuzz along the edges.
Léa noticed her new scarf fuzzed whenever she wore it under her coat.
用法筆記
Usually describes fabric or paper that wears down over time. Often used with an adverb of manner or location ('fuzz onto', 'fuzz along').
2. to become unclear or blurry in appearance, losing sharp detail so that outlines
to become unclear or blurry in appearance, losing sharp detail so that outlines and features are hard to make out.
The television screen fuzzed when the storm knocked out the signal tower.
intransitive — screen losing clarity
Zuri's vision fuzzed as she stood up too quickly from her desk.
The old photograph had fuzzed around the edges after decades in the sunlight.
Everything fuzzed in front of Niran's eyes after staring at the screen for hours.
用法筆記
Describes a change in state — something becoming blurry over time or due to a specific cause. Frequently used with 'around the edges' to describe the onset of blur.
3. to deliberately or accidentally make something unclear, blurry, or soft-edged so
to deliberately or accidentally make something unclear, blurry, or soft-edged so that its details or outlines are hard to see.
The rain fuzzed the windshield so badly that the driver had to pull over.
transitive — rain making glass unclear
Tears fuzzed the words on the page until they were impossible to read.
Eri fuzzed the edges of the photograph to create a dreamy, soft effect.
Bright streetlights fuzzed the night sky and hid the stars from view.
用法筆記
The transitive sense always takes a direct object — the thing being made unclear. Contrast with sense 2 (intransitive) where the subject itself becomes blurry.
4. to surround or cover something with a haze, mist, smoke, or other atmospheric la
to surround or cover something with a haze, mist, smoke, or other atmospheric layer that makes it hard to see clearly.
Smoke from the wildfire fuzzed the mountain valley in a thick gray haze.
transitive — smoke creating atmospheric haze
The morning fog fuzzed the harbor and hid the boats from the crew's view.
The old woman's memories of that year were fuzzed by sadness and confusion.
Heat rising from the desert road fuzzed the distant buildings into a blur.
用法筆記
Frequently used in passive constructions ('were fuzzed by'). The figurative use (memories, thoughts) is common in literary writing.