powder puff

¹ American  

noun

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

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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.

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powder puff British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of powder puff¹

First recorded in 1695–1705

Origin of powder-puff²

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

“To do another take, they’d first brought in helicopters to blow the sand but that didn’t really work. Then they used a very big version of a powder puff on a high pole.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2024

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 imagines swooning in his arms like some gauzy thirties film starlet, propped up on a blue powder puff and surrounded by thornless roses as he tells her he loves her.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 9, 2015

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