Scoffer means: In British slang, a scoffer is someone who eats voraciously or in large quantities - a glutton. In the more general standard English sense, a scoffer is someone who mocks or scoffs at others. Both. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
scoffer
In British slang, a scoffer is someone who eats voraciously or in large quantities — a glutton.
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 28, 2026UK
In British slang, a scoffer is someone who eats voraciously or in large quantities — a glutton. In the more general standard English sense, a scoffer is someone who mocks or scoffs at others. Both senses are in use; the eating sense is the more distinctly slangy British usage.
He was a legendary scoffer at work — never left a crumb from a team lunch.
Origin: From scoff (British slang for food or eating greedily), from Afrikaans schoff (a meal), plus -er agent suffix. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
For parents
Scoffer means: In British slang, a scoffer is someone who eats voraciously or in large quantities - a glutton. In the more general standard English sense, a scoffer is someone who mocks or scoffs at others. Both. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
For ESL learners
scoffer means: In British slang, a scoffer is someone who eats voraciously or in large quantities - a glutton. In the more general standard English sense, a scoffer is someone who mocks or. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: eat
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
One who scoffs or mocks.
Cluster: general
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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK
(UK, slang) One who eats a large amount.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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