powder puff

¹ American  

noun

1. a soft, feathery ball or pad, as of cotton or down, for applying powder to the skin.

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powder-puff ² American  

[pou-der-puhf] / ˈpaʊ dərˌpʌf /

adjective

Informal.

1. limited to participation by women or girls.

   She plays on the powder-puff touch football team.

2. inconsequential; trifling; lightweight.

   a powder-puff company with little financing and a weak sales effort.

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powder puff British  

noun

1. a soft pad or ball of fluffy material used for applying cosmetic powder to the skin

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Etymology

Origin of powder puff¹

First recorded in 1695–1705

Origin of powder-puff²

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

“To do another take, they’d first brought in helicopters to blow the sand but that didn’t really work. Then they used a very big version of a powder puff on a high pole.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2024

The Sun Devils haven't been world-beaters so far, but they've played two powder puff opponents.

From Fox News • Sep. 17, 2021

Mr. Martin suggested using a large, fluffy brush to set the makeup, then a powder puff afterward to push in and lock down the applied products.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2021

She imagines swooning in his arms like some gauzy thirties film starlet, propped up on a blue powder puff and surrounded by thornless roses as he tells her he loves her.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 9, 2015

Clutching a powder puff in one hand and a container of face powder in the other, Lady Constance ran out of her dressing room, down the stairs, and out the front door of Ashton Place.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood