puffball

noun puff·ball \ ˈpəf-ˌbȯl \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of puffball

: any of various globose and often edible fungi (especially family Lycoperdaceae) that discharge mature spores in a smokelike cloud when pressed or struck

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Recent Examples of puffball from the Web

Floating mountains and plants such as bladder polyps, puffball trees and the flaska reclinata give Pandora a distinctive, otherworldly look.

— dewayne bevil, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Disney: Pandora Utility Suit coming to Animal Kingdom," 9 Apr. 2018
Shooting hot air directly on to your hair is the quickest way to damage your strands and turn your crown into a big, frizzy puffball.

— joane amay, Allure, "13 Common Mistakes People With Curly Hair Make — and How to Avoid Them," 2 Apr. 2018
Flavors such as such as beer cheese, spicy ginger curry and dark chocolate cherry thickly coat mondo, tender-crisp puffballs that beg more than a PBR.

— liz biro, Indianapolis Star, "Just Pop In! is opening the popcorn bar of every Hoosier's dreams," 19 Jan. 2018
Release Date: 2018 Platforms: Nintendo Switch Kirby Star Allies Nintendo and HAL Laboratory’s adorable pink puffball will soon be appearing in a new adventure for the Switch.

— lisa eadicicco, Time, "14 Video Games We Can't Wait to Play in 2018," 21 Dec. 2017
The rescue has already bestowed some of the new names on its resident puffballs: there is Popchop, Fuzzable, Buzzberry, After Pie, Fleury White, Stargoon, Hanger Dan, and last but certainly not least, Princess Pow.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Neural Network Generates Adorable Names for Rescue Guinea Pigs," 20 June 2017
The rescue has already bestowed some of the new names on its resident puffballs: there is Popchop, Fuzzable, Buzzberry, After Pie, Fleury White, Stargoon, Hanger Dan, and last but certainly not least, Princess Pow.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Neural Network Generates Adorable Names for Rescue Guinea Pigs," 20 June 2017
The rescue has already bestowed some of the new names on its resident puffballs: there is Popchop, Fuzzable, Buzzberry, After Pie, Fleury White, Stargoon, Hanger Dan, and last but certainly not least, Princess Pow.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Neural Network Generates Adorable Names for Rescue Guinea Pigs," 20 June 2017
Bischoff has friends who stalk puffballs in Woodland Cemetery in West Philadelphia.

— samantha melamed, Philly.com, "How Philly's secretive foragers are cashing in on a mushroom bonanza," 29 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'puffball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of puffball

1649

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

puffball

noun puff·ball \ ˈpəf-ˌbȯl \

medical Definition of puffball

: any of various globose and often edible fungi (especially family Lycoperdaceae) that discharge ripe spores in a smokelike cloud when pressed or struck