Meaning & use
cuffings
Last updated
“cuffings” is a form of “cuffing”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralinformal
The informal practice of starting a romantic relationship during the colder months, often to have company through winter.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun; the singular 'cuffing' is rare and usually appears only in compounds like 'cuffing season'.
Patterns
- cuffings during winter
- the cuffings of autumn
Many people joke about their autumn cuffings, pairing up just before the weather turns cold.
The article described cuffings as a seasonal trend rather than a serious commitment.
Her friends teased her about her winter cuffings, but she insisted she genuinely liked him.
Word forms
| singular | cuffing |
|---|
Common combinations
- cuffing season
- Stores start advertising cozy dates when cuffing season begins.
- winter cuffings
- Their winter cuffings rarely lasted until spring.
- talk about cuffings
- The podcast spent an hour talking about cuffings and modern dating.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pairing up
- This is a general phrase for forming couples and does not carry the seasonal, informal dating sense of 'cuffings'.
Word family
- cuff verb
- Informal: to start a romantic relationship with someone, especially in cold months.
Commonly confused: cuffings or cufflinks?
cuffings vs cufflinks
These are small decorative fasteners for shirt cuffs. 'Cuffings' is about dating, not clothing.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cuffings' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B correctly uses 'cuffings' as the informal plural noun for seasonal romantic pairings. Option A confuses it with 'cufflinks', option C uses it as a verb, and option D confuses it with 'cuffs' (parts of a sleeve).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cuffings”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.