puffball

American

[puhf-bawl] / ˈpʌfˌbɔl /

noun

any of various basidiomycetous fungi, especially of the genus Lycoperdon and allied genera, characterized by a ball-like fruit body that emits a cloud of spores when broken.

puffball British

/ ˈpʌfˌbɔːl /

noun

any of various basidiomycetous saprotrophic fungi of the genera Calvatia and Lycoperdon, having a round fruiting body that discharges a cloud of brown spores when mature

"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 puffball

First recorded in 1640–50; puff + ball ¹

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.

Death cap mushrooms, for example, have been spreading throughout the western U.S. and look similar to the common puffball.

From National Geographic • Feb. 14, 2024

It could also be a puffball delivered underhanded that plops just beyond the net.

From Washington Post • Aug. 3, 2022

Tan, coached by 1998 Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat, lacks pure power and has a puffball second serve, but she understands tennis geometry and has an unconventional tool set that is well suited to grass.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2022

Kidman plumped for a grey strapless gown with a train and an eye-catching puffball waist.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2022

He had found some young puffball mushrooms and a plum tree covered with purple plums which had ripened and dried almost to prunes, when he spotted the bird in the undergrowth.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

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