huff

[huhf]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR huff ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a mood of sulking anger; a fit of resentment: Just because you disagree, don't walk off in a huff.

verb (used with object)

to give offense to; make angry.

to treat with arrogance or contempt; bluster at; hector or bully.

Checkers. to remove (a piece) from the board as a penalty for failing to make a compulsory capture.

Slang. to inhale the vapors of in order to become intoxicated: to huff glue.

verb (used without object)

to take offense; speak indignantly.

to puff or blow; breathe heavily.

to swell with pride or arrogance; swagger or bluster.

Origin of huff

1575–85; imitative; see puff

Synonyms for huff

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR huff ON THESAURUS.COM

1. temper, passion, pique, pet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for huff

snit, puff, heave, annoyance, perturbation, miff, rage, pet, tiff, umbrage, pique, dudgeon, passion, stew, anger, offense, temper, blow, gasp, expire

Examples from the Web for huff

Contemporary Examples of huff

With that, he took a huff off a morning joint and moved into the throng of jovial patrons.
A Report From the Misunderstood Gathering of the Juggalos
Steve Miller
July 28, 2014
So we salute you, Mr. Fielder, even as we continue to huff and puff at the gym in pursuit of those rippling ridges.
Prince Fielder’s Demi Moore Moment: World Loses It Over Athlete Without Six-Pack
Tim Teeman
July 10, 2014
In response, Smith quit the party in a huff that July, trashing it as insufficiently principled on his way out the door.
Sen. Bob Smith: The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave
Michelle Cottle
December 4, 2013
In elementary school, children will disagree and fight, then storm away in a huff and simply ignore each other.
Was It Irresponsible of Israel to Apologize to Turkey?
Brent E. Sasley
May 21, 2013
“We have activities together, we see each other, we eat, we pet our dogs,” Huff told The Daily Beast.
What Amanda Knox Is Up to Now
Winston Ross, Barbie Latza Nadeau
March 25, 2013

Historical Examples of huff

But he threw me off his shoulders in a huff, among the daisies and the cyclamens.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
James left the kitchen in a huff to return to his duties in the breakfast-room.
A Modern Tomboy
L. T. Meade
And despite all apology and protest, he left the house in a huff.
The Young Mountaineers
Charles Egbert Craddock
Then, I left him, in a huff, declaring that he couldn't drive me away.
The Last Woman
Ross Beeckman
Percy slammed down the cover and tossed away the can in a huff.
Jim Spurling, Fisherman
Albert Walter Tolman

British Dictionary definitions for huff

huff

noun

a passing mood of anger or pique (esp in the phrase in a huff)

verb

to make or become angry or resentful

(intr) to blow or puff heavily

Also: blow draughts to remove (an opponent's draught) from the board for failure to make a capture

(tr) obsolete to bully

huffing and puffing empty threats or objections; bluster

Derived Formshuffish or huffy, adjectivehuffily or huffishly, adverbhuffiness or huffishness, noun

Word Origin for huff

C16: of imitative origin; compare puff

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

Word Origin and History for huff

mid-15c., apparently imitative of exhaling. Extended sense of "bluster with indignation" is attested from 1590s. Related: Huffed; huffing. As a slang term for a type of narcotics abuse, by 1996. As a noun from 1590s; to leave in a huff is recorded from 1778. Popular terms for "strong beer or ale" noted from 1577 include huff cap as well as mad dog and dragon's milk.

Idioms and Phrases with huff

huff

In addition to the idiom beginning with huff

huff and puff

also see:

in a huff