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bouffant

American  
[boo-fahnt, boo-fahnt, boo-fahn] / buˈfɑnt, ˈbu fɑnt, buˈfɑ̃ /

adjective

  1. puffed out; full.

    a bouffant skirt.


noun

  1. a woman's hairstyle in which the hair is teased to give an overall puffed-out appearance and often combed to frame the face.

bouffant British  
/ ˈbuːfɒŋ /

adjective

  1. (of a hair style) having extra height and width through back-combing; puffed out

  2. (of sleeves, skirts, etc) puffed out

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a bouffant hair style

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of bouffant

First recorded in 1875–80; from French: literally, “swelling” ( bouff(er) “to swell” + -ant adjective suffix; see -ant)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

When it came to Margo’s bouffant hairstyle as the dream HungryGhost, stylist Jaime Leigh McIntosh used a combination of three wigs in pink.

From Los Angeles Times May 20, 2026

Cruise ship passengers were pictured wearing blue gowns, bouffant caps, and medical face masks as they disembarked on Sunday at the port of Grandilla de Abona in Tenerife.

From BBC May 11, 2026

James Whale’s 1935 freakquel, “Bride of Frankenstein,” imagined the companion briefly alive, sporting a white-streaked, electric-shocked bouffant before being killed by the Monster moments after her genesis.

From Salon Mar. 8, 2026

In one such instance, the official “Barbie” movie account responded to a fan-made image depicting Barbie with an atom bomb bouffant with the comment, “This Ken is a stylist.”

From New York Times Aug. 1, 2023

He liked the verve of her bouffant wigs, the drawl of her native Mississippi, as well as the severe eyeglass frames that belied the warmth in her eyes.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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