puff

verb

\ ˈpəf

puffed; puffing; puffs

Definition of puff

(Entry 1 of 3)

intransitive verb

1a(1) : to blow in short gusts

(2) : to exhale forcibly

b : to breathe hard : pant

c : to emit small whiffs or clouds (as of smoke) often as an accompaniment to vigorous action puff at a pipe

2 : to speak or act in a scornful, conceited, or exaggerated manner

3a : to become distended : swell —usually used with up

b : to open or appear in or as if in a puff

4 : to form a chromosomal puff

transitive verb

1a : to emit, propel, blow, or expel by or as if by puffs : waft

b : to draw on (a cigar, cigarette, pipe, etc.) with intermittent exhalations of smoke

2a : to distend with or as if with air or gas : inflate

b : to make proud or conceited : elate

c(1) : to praise extravagantly and usually with exaggeration authors puffing their own work

(2) : advertise

puff

noun

Definition of puff (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : an act or instance of puffing : whiff

b : a slight explosive sound accompanying a puff

c : a perceptible cloud or aura emitted in a puff

d : draw sense 1a

2 : a light round hollow pastry

3a : a slight swelling : protuberance

b : a fluffy mass: such as

(1) : pouf sense 2

(2) : a small fluffy pad for applying cosmetic powder

(3) : a soft loose roll of hair

(4) : a quilted bed covering

4 : a commendatory or promotional notice or review

5 : an enlarged region of a chromosome that is associated with intensely active genes involved in RNA synthesis

puff

adjective

Definition of puff (Entry 3 of 3)

: of, relating to, or designed for promotion or flattery a puff piece in the paper

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about puff

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Synonyms for puff

Synonyms: Verb

blow, gasp, heave, hyperventilate, pant, wheeze

Synonyms: Noun

air, breath, breeze, waft, zephyr

Examples of puff in a Sentence

Verb

She sat on the porch puffing on a cigarette. The chimney puffed white smoke into the sky. We watched the train puff away on its journey west. He was puffing and panting from running. The bikers puffed up the hill.

Noun

He let me have a puff off his pipe. She took two puffs on her inhaler before going for a run. puffs filled with cream cheese and apricot jam

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Bake until puffed and golden all over, about 13 minutes. 2. — Kitty Greenwald, WSJ, "The Easiest Way to Eat More Healthy Fish," 16 Jan. 2019 Having celebrated five Super Bowls, three World Series, an NBA championship, and a Stanley Cup since the end of 2001, Boston sports fans have strutted around with their chests puffed out for a decade-and-a-half. — Mike Sielski, Philly.com, "The story and significance of Sixers-Celtics in NBA playoffs series and the best chant in sports | Mike Sielski," 1 May 2018 Place sheets in oven, then reduce oven temp to 350°F and bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until puffed and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Coconut Cream Éclairs," 7 Mar. 2019 Americans love a do-or-die tournament) and puff themselves up about fairness (in the four-team model, high quality teams, even conference winners, get left out). — Jason Gay, WSJ, "Expand the Playoff, College Football," 16 Dec. 2018 Unlike Google, which is at heart an advertising company, Apple can't puff up its profit in the roundabout ways that Google can. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "For Apple's Big Event on Monday, Hardware Is Just a Sideshow," 21 Mar. 2019 Part of Valentino's Fall 2018 couture collection, the strapless gown featured puffed off-the-shoulder sleeves and a massive cascading train. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Lady Gaga Stuns in Valentino Couture at 2019 Golden Globes," 7 Jan. 2019 Export While much of the CFC-11 is being sold to Chinese foam manufacturers, some of the mix used to puff up the foam is being exported. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Sources of banned CFCs found through their advertising," 9 July 2018 Bake for 2-4 minutes, until the marshmallows start to puff up. — For Kroger, The Courier-Journal, "A sweet treat this Valentine’s Day," 5 Feb. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The taro puffs filled with goose liver at Dynasty, a fancy place your upstanding grandparents might take you for Sunday lunch, were like a dim sum dish reimagined at Le Cordon Bleu. — Mark Rozzo, Town & Country, "Hong Kong Foodie," 1 Nov. 2012 Daniella explodes down the ramp and disappears, and in a few seconds a puff of yellow floats above a hay bale. — Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: USA Luge's search for next great Winter Olympian visits Indianapolis," 28 June 2018 Power Puff Girls If the puff sleeve wasn’t enough of a statement, these frocks come in eye catching colors and bright florals that double the fun. — Vogue, "These 24 Dresses Are a No-Fuss Solution to Spring Style," 31 Mar. 2019 Beth had found that cricket flour left a bad taste in her mouth, but Yoon used it for creating cheese puffs where the cheese dominated the taste. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Ars eats more bugs, finds a few we like," 30 Sep. 2018 He's even rocked a version of one of this season's hottest natural hair-trends: the puff pony. — Sharine Taylor, Allure, "For These Dancehall Artists, Hair Is Just as Important as the Music," 27 Sep. 2018 My mother would pull my hair into two plaits or sometimes into an Afro puff that looked like a fluffy rabbit’s tail on top of my head. — Dana Snitzky, Longreads, "How To Be a Plain Girl," 2 May 2018 Yet Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif brushed it off Tuesday as little more than cheese puffs. — Time, "Iran Accuses the U.S. of Fabricating Evidence That Tehran Armed Houthi Rebels With Missiles," 25 Apr. 2018 Video showing puffs of smoke erupting in the sky as the plane fell were consistent with an in-flight breakup rather than an in-flight fire aboard the plane, Cox said Witnesses described the plane as sounding like a missile or a racing motorcycle. — John Antczak, The Seattle Times, "Police: Pilot in fatal California crash had fake records," 6 Feb. 2019

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