What does stiffed mean?
Stiffed is the past tense and past participle of the informal verb stiff, and it has two main modern senses. Most commonly, to stiffed someone means to dismiss them from a job, office, or other role, often abruptly or unfairly. The phrase “we got stiffed” can therefore report a termination of employment. In another sense, stiffed means cheated or swindled, especially by being overcharged or deprived of an agreed payment. This sense is especially associated with dealings that leave one party worse off than promised. Although stiffed can sound final and accusatory, it efficiently conveys not merely a change of status but also a strong implication of unfair treatment. The word is informal, so it appears more often in conversation, journalism, and narrative writing than in formal legal documents. Stiffed should not be confused with stiffened, the usual form for describing something becoming rigid.
verb (past tense and past participle)Dismissed from a job, office, or other role, especially abruptly or unfairly; also, cheated or swindled.
- Dismissed from employment, an office, or another role, especially abruptly or unfairly.
- Cheated, swindled, or overcharged, especially of money owed or expected.
"The employer stiffed the worker after she refused to accept a substantial pay cut."
"The company stiffed dozens of employees when it abruptly restructured."
"The contractor stiffed us by refusing to pay for the completed repairs."
One word can mean both “you lost your job” and “you got ripped off” — and stiffed captures both.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stiffed come from?
Stiffed is the past tense and past participle of stiff. Stiff continues Old English stiff, meaning rigid or difficult to bend, and ultimately derives from a Germanic root represented in Proto-Germanic by *stifaz. The informal meanings “dismissed” and “cheated” are later developments whose precise chronology is uncertain.
Related word forms
How stiffed is actually used
Informal and sometimes blunt or accusatory. The dismissal sense can imply abruptness or unfair treatment, while the cheating sense suggests being overcharged or shortchanged.
Easily confused with stiffed
Stiffened normally means made or became rigid, whereas stiffed is an informal verb form meaning dismissed or cheated.