poof

¹ American  

[poof, poof] / pʊf, puf /

interjection

1. (used to express or indicate a sudden disappearance).

   Poof! The magician made the rabbit disappear.

2. pooh.

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poof ² American  

[poof, poof] / puf, pʊf /

Sometimes pooff; also pouf;

noun

British Slang.

1. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.

2. Offensive. an effeminate male.

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poof British  

/ pʊf, puːf /

noun

1. derogatory a male homosexual

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• poofy
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of poof¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Origin of poof²

First recorded in 1840–50; from French pouffe “puff”; see origin at pouf ¹

Example Sentences

Poof, the Apple Cup — which has produced more than a century of indelible memories, will never quite be the same, even if it can be maintained in some fashion.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023

All that time you put into your tweets, all those faves and retweets, your precious brand as constructed 140, and then 280, characters at a time: Poof, they’d be gone!

From Slate • Jul. 31, 2018

Let’s, for the moment, magically eliminate the legal and regulatory roadblocks: Poof!

From New York Times • May 25, 2018

Poof: Hirscher’s bid to become the second man to win three alpine gold medals in one Olympics came to a shocking end Thursday morning at Yongpyong Alpine Center.

From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2018

Poof, those citizens do not know percale from a Parisian toilette.”

From The Missourian by Lyle, Eugene P. (Eugene Percy)