powder puff
noun
a soft, feathery ball or pad, as of cotton or down, for applying powder to the skin.
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powder puff
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powder-puff
powder-puffadjectivelimited to participation by women or girls.
powder puff
1 Americannoun
powder-puff
2
American
[pau-der-puhf]
/ ˈpaʊ dərˌpʌf /
adjective
Informal.
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limited to participation by women or girls.
She plays on the powder-puff touch football team.
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inconsequential; trifling; lightweight.
a powder-puff company with little financing and a weak sales effort.
powder puff
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of powder puff1
First recorded in 1695–1705
Origin of powder-puff2
First recorded in 1935–40
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:
“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
Mr. Lee was mocked by activists earlier this week after a Reddit user posted a 1977 high school yearbook photo of him and other students dressed in opposite-sex clothing for a powder puff football game.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 3, 2023
Also pink, courtesy of Seth Rogen in salmon Dior Men and Margot Robbie in powder puff Chanel.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
The Sun Devils haven't been world-beaters so far, but they've played two powder puff opponents.
From Fox News ● Sep. 17, 2021
She picked up her billfold, but they all got down on their hands and knees, crawling around to pick up little brass tubes of lipstick and her mirror and powder puff.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
More timidity to observe, more vulnerability in defence, more powder-puff stuff up front, more wide men running in ever decreasing circles.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025
Her career almost ended during a charity powder-puff football game during her junior year at Eastern High School in Vorhees, N.J.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2016
Mr. Mars channels the powder-puff vocals of Jason Mraz on “Count on Me” as well as on “Marry You,” which borrows liberally from Coldplay in its spacious drums and forceful velocity.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2010
As for Chennai, powder-puff in the pace department, "Deadly" Doug Bollinger can't arrive soon enough.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 2, 2010
She used to come in to a supper with a lovely shining face which scorned a powder-puff.
From McClure's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 3, July 1908. by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
