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powder puff

1 American  

noun

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

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.
powder puff British  

noun

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

"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

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.

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 discreetly blotted her wounds with the powder puff.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2017

She took one from the stack, wiped her hands and tapped at her face as she had seen Mami do with the powder puff.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.