puff

[ puhf ]

/ pʌf /

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See synonyms for: puff / puffed / puffing on Thesaurus.com

noun

a short, quick blast, as of wind or breath.

an abrupt emission of air, smoke, vapor, etc.

an act of inhaling and exhaling, as on a cigarette or pipe; whiff.

the sound of an abrupt emission of air, vapor, etc.

a small quantity of vapor, smoke, etc., emitted at one blast.

an inflated or distended part of a thing; swelling; protuberance.

a form of light pastry with a filling of cream, jam, or the like.

a portion of material gathered and held down at the edges but left full in the middle, as on a sleeve.

a cylindrical roll of hair.

a quilted bed covering, usually filled with down.

a commendation, especially an exaggerated one, of a book, an actor's performance, etc.

powder puff.

a ball or pad of soft material.

puffball.

Chiefly British Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a gay man.

verb (used without object)

to blow with short, quick blasts, as the wind.

to be emitted in a puff.

to emit a puff or puffs; breathe quick and hard, as after violent exertion.

to go with puffing or panting.

to emit puffs or whiffs of vapor or smoke.

to move with such puffs: The locomotive puffed into the station.

to take puffs at a cigar, cigarette, etc.

to become inflated, distended, or swollen (usually followed by up).

(especially of an auctioneer's accomplice) to bid on an item at an auction solely to increase the price that the final bidder must pay.

verb (used with object)

to send forth (air, vapor, etc.) in short, quick blasts.

to drive or impel by puffing, or with a short, quick blast.

to extinguish by means of a puff (usually followed by out): to puff a match out.

to smoke (a cigar, cigarette, etc.).

to inflate, distend, or swell, especially with air.

to make fluffy; fluff (often followed by up): to puff up a pillow.

to inflate with pride, vanity, etc. (often followed by up): Their applause puffed him up.

to praise unduly or with exaggeration.

to apply powder to (the cheeks, neck, etc.) with a powder puff.

to apply (powder) with a powder puff.

to arrange in puffs, as the hair.

OTHER WORDS FOR puff

11 overpraise, exaggeration, puffery, flattery.

See synonyms for puff on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of puff

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb puffen, Old English pyffan, puffan (compare Middle Dutch puffen ); imitative of the sound

OTHER WORDS FROM puff

puff·ing·ly, adverbun·puffed, adjectiveun·puff·ing, adjective

Words nearby puff

Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Trench, puertorriqueño, Puerto Vallarta, Pufendorf, puff, puff adder, puffball, puffbird, puffed-up, puffer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use puff in a sentence

For me, that means no super-rich dips, no fussily layered toasts, and definitely nothing involving puff pastry or muffin tins or toothpicks.
A Holiday Snacking Game Plan That Won’t Stress You Out|Elazar Sontag|November 23, 2020|Eater
Dust your work surface with flour to prevent sticking, and roll your puff pastry into a rectangle about eight inches long.
Ease into Winter with Backcountry-Approved Comfort Food|Christina Bernstein|November 12, 2020|Outside Online
Yet, “I Have Something to Tell You” isn’t your typical, political puff piece.
‘I Have Something to Tell You’ not typical, political puff piece|Kathi Wolfe|September 24, 2020|Washington Blade
By the 1960s, researchers discovered that flooding the subterranean reservoirs with steam or injecting it in cycles, through a process known as “huff and puff,” worked well.
Oil Companies Are Profiting From Illegal Spills. And California Lets Them.|by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun, and Lylla Younes, ProPublica|September 18, 2020|ProPublica

It plays relaxing music at just the right volume, releases a puff of light lavender-scented essential oil, and maybe even says some meditative quotes to calm you down.
Cars Will Soon Be Able to Sense and React to Your Emotions|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|July 29, 2020|Singularity Hub
It has French ingredients like leeks and tarragon, and I use puff pastry to make the crust easy!
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And even ordinary exercisers may subject themselves to dirty looks if they puff near their gym.
E-Cigarettes: The Side Effects Nobody Talks About|DailyBurn|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
In his new video for “I Want the Love,” Puff Daddy sits tight on what appears to be a pretty good replica of the iron throne.
Stars, They’re Obsessed with ‘Game of Thrones’ Just Like Us!|Amy Zimmerman|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I walked behind the idling swing and gave it a gentle puff of a push.
When An Adopted Child Won’t Attach|Tina Traster|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a white silk, with an immense train, of course, and without overskirt—simply caught up in a great puff behind.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
It curled and twisted in the embers as if it had been a living thing; a puff of smoke, a pungent odour, and it was gone.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The horse made a spring to one side, and the beautiful new pipe was broken before the old hero had taken a single puff.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The flounces were so full and fluffy that he held his knees back nervously lest he should disturb a puff.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Will not one puff of that narcotic breath drowse deep all watching dragons, and make for him the sleeping beauties of his will?
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for puff

puff

/ (pʌf) /

noun

a short quick draught, gust, or emission, as of wind, smoke, air, etc, esp a forceful one

the amount of wind, smoke, etc, released in a puff

the sound made by or associated with a puff

an instance of inhaling and expelling the breath as in smoking

a swelling

a light aerated pastry usually filled with cream, jam, etc

a powder puff

exaggerated praise, as of a book, product, etc, esp through an advertisement

a piece of clothing fabric gathered up so as to bulge in the centre while being held together at the edges

a loose piece of hair wound into a cylindrical roll, usually over a pad, and pinned in place in a coiffure

a less common word for quilt (def. 1)

one's breath (esp in the phrase out of puff)

derogatory, slang a male homosexual

a dialect word for puffball

verb

to blow or breathe or cause to blow or breathe in short quick draughts or blasts

(tr; often foll by out; usually passive) to cause to be out of breath

to take puffs or draws at (a cigarette, cigar, or pipe)

to move with or by the emission of puffsthe steam train puffed up the incline

(often foll by up, out, etc) to swell, as with air, pride, etc

(tr) to praise with exaggerated empty words, often in advertising

(tr) to apply (cosmetic powder) from a powder puff to (the face)

to increase the price of (a lot in an auction) artificially by having an accomplice make false bids

Word Origin for puff

Old English pyffan; related to Dutch German puffen, Swiss pfuffen, Norwegian puffa, all of imitative origin

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

puff

OTHER WORDS FOR puff

Origin of puff

OTHER WORDS FROM puff

Words nearby puff

Words related to puff

How to use puff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for puff

Word Origin for puff