puff piece

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a newspaper article, book, public-relations film, etc., whose purpose is to praise or flatter.

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puff piece British  

noun

1. a flattering newspaper or magazine article about a person or an organization

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puff piece Idioms  

1. An approving or flattering article, as in That was really a puff piece about the conductor, written by her cousin. The use of puff for “exaggerated praise” dates from about 1600; piece was added in the mid-1900s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

puff piece

But The Hollywood Reporter describes the film as "pretty polished and as featherweight as a fawning magazine puff piece".

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

The film isn’t excusing these rough working conditions, but it’s not a puff piece, either.

From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026

She said, “You warned me this wasn’t going to be a puff piece, and it was a truth piece, and I feel like you really did my story justice.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2024

But it has the overwhelming feel of a cross-promotional puff piece, its endless sunny days and clouds away gradually resulting in a breakdown of momentum and structure.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2021

War bonds were still being advertised to “Help Finish the Job!” opposite pages with a puff piece extolling the charms of a recent debutante.

From New York Times ● Sep. 2, 2020