cream puff

American  

[kreem puhf] / ˈkrim ˌpʌf /

Or creampuff

noun

1. a nearly hollow shell made from choux pastry and filled with custard or whipped cream.

2. Slang.

   1. a weak or timid person.

   2. a gay man.

3. Slang. a vehicle or machine that has been kept in unusually good condition or is very easy to operate.

   Wow, this old Rolls drives like a dream. What a cream puff!

---

cream puff British  

noun

1. a shell of light pastry with a custard or cream filling

2. informal an effeminate man

---

Etymology

Origin of cream puff

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

The final scene, in which Titus enters dressed as a chef, a cream puff of a toque jauntily placed on his head—he’s baked those unpalatable pies—retains its deranged tone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

"It's the kind of flavor of pistachio you might find in a pistachio cream puff," Ramirez said.

From Salon • Jan. 26, 2023

Their cream puff schedule generated absolutely no preseason buzz.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2022

And find a matcha cream puff I did.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 1, 2021

The only thing that remained of their passing was the cream puff, abandoned before Sycorax had climbed into the radiator.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

Related Words

• profiterole