Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to faff around
Participle: faffed around
Gerund: faffing around
Cognates
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Indicative
Present
| I | faff around |
| you | faff around |
| he;she;it | faffs around |
| we | faff around |
| you | faff around |
| they | faff around |
Perfect
| I | have faffed around |
| you | have faffed around |
| he;she;it | has faffed around |
| we | have faffed around |
| you | have faffed around |
| they | have faffed around |
Past
| I | faffed around |
| you | faffed around |
| he;she;it | faffed around |
| we | faffed around |
| you | faffed around |
| they | faffed around |
Pluperfect
| I | had faffed around |
| you | had faffed around |
| he;she;it | had faffed around |
| we | had faffed around |
| you | had faffed around |
| they | had faffed around |
Future
| I | will faff around |
| you | will faff around |
| he;she;it | will faff around |
| we | will faff around |
| you | will faff around |
| they | will faff around |
Future Perfect
| I | will have faffed around |
| you | will have faffed around |
| he;she;it | will have faffed around |
| we | will have faffed around |
| you | will have faffed around |
| they | will have faffed around |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | faff around |
| you | faff around |
| he;she;it | faff around |
| we | faff around |
| you | faff around |
| they | faff around |
Perfect
| I | have faffed around |
| you | have faffed around |
| he;she;it | have faffed around |
| we | have faffed around |
| you | have faffed around |
| they | have faffed around |
Imperfect
| I | faffed around |
| you | faffed around |
| he;she;it | faffed around |
| we | faffed around |
| you | faffed around |
| they | faffed around |
Pluperfect
| I | had faffed around |
| you | had faffed around |
| he;she;it | had faffed around |
| we | had faffed around |
| you | had faffed around |
| they | had faffed around |
Conditional
Present
| I | would faff around |
| you | would faff around |
| he;she;it | would faff around |
| we | would faff around |
| you | would faff around |
| they | would faff around |
Perfect
| I | would have faffed around |
| you | would have faffed around |
| he;she;it | would have faffed around |
| we | would have faffed around |
| you | would have faffed around |
| they | would have faffed around |
Imperative
| you | faff around |
| we | Let's faff around |
| you | faff around |
Verbs conjugated like 'faff'
abandon,
abduct,
abear,
aberr,
abject,
abord,
abort,
abound,
abraid,
abray,
abrook,
abscind,
abscond,
absist,
absorb,
abstain,
abstract,
accend,
accent,
accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'faff'
baff,
daff,
fuff,
gaff,
laff,
pfaff,
raff,
waff,
affy,
barf,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- to be idle
- arse about, arse around, bludge, bum around, cabbage, clown around, dawdle, dick about, dick around, dilly-dally, drumble, faff about, faff around, fanny about, fanny around, fart about, fart around, fiddle about, fiddle around, fool about, fool around, footle, goof around, goof off, hang about, hang around, hang out, horse around, idle, jerk off, lallygag, laze, laze about, laze around, linger, loaf, loaf about, loaf around, loiter, lollygag, mess around, mill about, mill around, muck about, muck around, tarry, waste time, while
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
Originally imitative of wind or puffs of air (see verb senses "to blow in puffs", "to move with a puff of air"). The noun is formed from the verb by conversion.
Sample Sentences
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Time wi’ his scythe hed mawn t’crop on his heead, An’ then fafft it away wi’ his wing. [1949, W.J. Halliday, Arthur Stanley Umpleby, The White Rose Garland, page 104:]
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Stop Faffing And Just Do It [2009, Steven Aitchison, 100 Ways to Develop Your Mind, page 131:]
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Frontier knows you're going to be spending a lot of time building coasters and faffing with scenery, so it doesn't want you fighting fires constantly. [2025 February 26, Rick Lane, “Review: Planet Coaster 2”, in PC Gamer (US), number 392, page 69; published online 1 November 2024:]