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.

• poofs
  plural

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• poofs
  plural

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

See Examples For:

poof poofs

Oracle, on which a significant part of the family’s wealth depends, has seen a third of its market value go poof in 10 weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025

I tap my phone to it, and Instagram goes poof.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2025

Your possessions can “go poof in a second,” Knight said, adding: “These connections we all share — that’s what the real stuff is.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2025

"His house went up in 10 minutes. Two-storey house, eight bedrooms… poof," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2023

Mom walks into the dining room, and Jennifer vanishes, poof!

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

The dimly lit gallery fills with mist oozing from ceiling jets and glowing neon-green lasers cut through the fog, illuminating it along with wafting poofs of dust.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2023

The red panda Mei poofs into is giant, bright orange-red and adorable, capable of turning even the mean girls at school into cooing, weeping fans.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2022

This can be derailing at the best of times, but whenever Mei feels overwhelmed or something makes her feel uncomfortable, she "poofs" into a giant red panda.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2022

I have the Klorane powder that poofs on, and I like the Klorane sprays.

From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2019

They came nowhere close, the white bolts smashing into the pavement, sending up poofs of dust.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner