puff

American  

[puhf] / pʌf /

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.

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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 byup ).

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 byout ).

   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 byup ).

   to puff up a pillow.

7. to inflate with pride, vanity, etc. (often followed byup ).

   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 British  

/ 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. a less common word for quilt

12. one's breath (esp in the phrase out of puff )

13. derogatory a male homosexual

14. a dialect word for puffball

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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. 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 Word Forms

• puffingly
  adverb
• unpuffed
  adjective
• unpuffing
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of puff

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

Explanation

A puff is a wisp of air or a baked snack. A magician might disappear in a puff of smoke — the kind that happens when you blow out a candle, not the kind that’s made of cheese. A puff of wind can spin a pinwheel or send a kite bobbing higher in the sky, and a tired runner's breath comes in puffs. There’s also the kind of puff that's inflated or stuffed and soft, like a puff of hair on grandma's head, a powder puff, or puff pastry, which is a thin, buttery dough that puffs up as it's baked. The Old English root is the imitative pyffan, "to blow with the mouth."

Example Sentences

Anyone with a slightly discerning eye can see this is a puff piece, a two-hour-long greatest hits CD.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

"I took the first puff," he adds with a laugh.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

“Sometimes you feel like to be powerful you want to puff up and be louder,” McEwen says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

Phil Salt called on England to puff their chests out, stand up and keep their T20 World Cup hopes alive, saying on Friday that when they bring their A-game "sides can't live with us".

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

He tilted his head to listen, and a puff of air blew my flame out, like somebody had made a wish.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

• gasp
• heave
• huff
• smoke
• suck
• wheeze