used to express disdain or dismissal or to suggest instantaneous occurrence

poof

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly poove
plural poofs also pooves
British, offensive
: a gay man
used as a term of abuse and disparagement

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps alteration of puff entry 2

First Known Use

Interjection

1824, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poof was in 1824

Dictionary Entries Near poof

Cite this Entry

“Poof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poof. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


Which Came First?

  • baby chick with a brown egg
  • hot take or cold shoulder?
Name That Thing

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY