puff

[ puhf ]

noun

1. a short, quick blast, as of wind or breath.
2. an abrupt emission of air, smoke, vapor, etc.
3. an act of inhaling and exhaling, as on a cigarette or pipe; whiff.
4. the sound of an abrupt emission of air, vapor, etc.
5. a small quantity of vapor, smoke, etc., emitted at one blast.
6. an inflated or distended part of a thing; swelling; protuberance.
7. a form of light pastry with a filling of cream, jam, or the like.
8. a portion of material gathered and held down at the edges but left full in the middle, as on a sleeve.
9. a cylindrical roll of hair.
10. a quilted bed covering, usually filled with down.
11. a commendation, especially an exaggerated one, of a book, an actor's performance, etc.

    Synonyms: flattery, puffery, exaggeration, overpraise

12. powder puff.
13. a ball or pad of soft material.
14. puffball.
15. Chiefly British Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a gay man.

verb (used without object)

1. to blow with short, quick blasts, as the wind.
2. to be emitted in a puff.
3. to emit a puff or puffs; breathe quick and hard, as after violent exertion.
4. to go with puffing or panting.
5. to emit puffs or whiffs of vapor or smoke.
6. to move with such puffs:

   The locomotive puffed into the station.

7. to take puffs at a cigar, cigarette, etc.
8. to become inflated, distended, or swollen (usually followed by up ).
9. (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)

1. to send forth (air, vapor, etc.) in short, quick blasts.
2. to drive or impel by puffing, or with a short, quick blast.
3. to extinguish by means of a puff (usually followed by out ):

   to puff a match out.

4. to smoke (a cigar, cigarette, etc.).
5. to inflate, distend, or swell, especially with air.
6. to make fluffy; fluff (often followed by up ):

   to puff up a pillow.

7. to inflate with pride, vanity, etc. (often followed by up ):

   Their applause puffed him up.

8. to praise unduly or with exaggeration.
9. to apply powder to (the cheeks, neck, etc.) with a powder puff.
10. to apply (powder) with a powder puff.
11. to arrange in puffs, as the hair.

puff

/ pʌf /

noun

1. a short quick draught, gust, or emission, as of wind, smoke, air, etc, esp a forceful one
2. the amount of wind, smoke, etc, released in a puff
3. the sound made by or associated with a puff
4. an instance of inhaling and expelling the breath as in smoking
5. a swelling
6. a light aerated pastry usually filled with cream, jam, etc
7. a powder puff
8. exaggerated praise, as of a book, product, etc, esp through an advertisement
9. a piece of clothing fabric gathered up so as to bulge in the centre while being held together at the edges
10. a loose piece of hair wound into a cylindrical roll, usually over a pad, and pinned in place in a coiffure
11. See quilt
    a less common word for quilt
12. one's breath (esp in the phrase out of puff )
13. derogatory.
    a male homosexual
14. See puffball
    a dialect word for puffball

verb

1. to blow or breathe or cause to blow or breathe in short quick draughts or blasts
2. tr; often foll by out; usually passive to cause to be out of breath
3. to take puffs or draws at (a cigarette, cigar, or pipe)
4. to move with or by the emission of puffs

   the steam train puffed up the incline

5. often foll byup, out, etc to swell, as with air, pride, etc
6. tr to praise with exaggerated empty words, often in advertising
7. tr to apply (cosmetic powder) from a powder puff to (the face)
8. to increase the price of (a lot in an auction) artificially by having an accomplice make false bids

Other Words From

• puff·ing·ly adverb
• un·puffed adjective
• un·puff·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of puff¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of puff¹

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

Example Sentences

For me, that means no super-rich dips, no fussily layered toasts, and definitely nothing involving puff pastry or muffin tins or toothpicks.

From Eater

Dust your work surface with flour to prevent sticking, and roll your puff pastry into a rectangle about eight inches long.

From Outside Online

Yet, “I Have Something to Tell You” isn’t your typical, political puff piece.

From 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.

From 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.

From Singularity Hub 

It has French ingredients like leeks and tarragon, and I use puff pastry to make the crust easy!

From The Daily Beast

And even ordinary exercisers may subject themselves to dirty looks if they puff near their gym.

From The 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.

From The 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.

From The Daily Beast

I walked behind the idling swing and gave it a gentle puff of a push.

From The Daily Beast

It was a white silk, with an immense train, of course, and without overskirt—simply caught up in a great puff behind.

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

The horse made a spring to one side, and the beautiful new pipe was broken before the old hero had taken a single puff.

From Project Gutenberg

The flounces were so full and fluffy that he held his knees back nervously lest he should disturb a puff.

From Project Gutenberg

Will not one puff of that narcotic breath drowse deep all watching dragons, and make for him the sleeping beauties of his will?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• whiff
• wisp