puff adder

Save This Word!

noun

a large, thick-bodied, African viper, Bitis arietans, that inflates its body and hisses when disturbed.

a similar viper, B. inornata, native to southern Africa.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of puff adder

First recorded in 1780–90

Words nearby puff adder

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

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

How to use puff adder in a sentence

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 adder

puff adder

noun

a large venomous African viper, Bitis arietans, that is yellowish-grey with brown markings and inflates its body when alarmed

another name for hognose snake

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