A tuft is a small bunch or cluster of things growing or held together at one point, like grass, hair, feathers, or threads. Picture a duck's head: that little spray of feathers sticking up is a tuft. Or imagine pulling up a clump of grass from your lawn: that's a tuft of grass, with all the blades connected at the roots.

Birds often have tufts of decorative feathers on their heads or tails. A paintbrush has a tuft of bristles at its tip. You might notice a tuft of fur sticking up on a cat's ear, or tufts of cotton poking out of an old teddy bear's seams.

The word tufted describes something decorated with tufts or having a tufted appearance. A tufted titmouse is a small gray bird with a pointed tuft of feathers on its head. Tufted furniture like sofas or cushions has buttons sewn deep into the fabric, creating a pattern of raised, puffy sections between them.

When things grow in tufts, they cluster together in small, separated bunches rather than spreading evenly. Beach grass grows in tufts across sand dunes, and moss often grows in soft green tufts on rocks and tree bark.