PUFF (UP) Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

puff (up)

verb

Definition of puff (up)

as in to roll up

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puff (up)

Verb

Any time now, federal agents were expected to roll up and exterminate them all.

— J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
That's because, while all the other runners were decked out in their standard tiny bottoms and tanks, Keely rolled up in an all black, full-body catsuit.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of roll up

Verb

But her list kept growing in the Eighties, when Hoffs suddenly blew up into a wildly famous rock star.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
On September 7 two other mathematicians used their program (and AI) to produce a blowup for a frictionless fluid—considered a major step toward blowing up Navier-Stokes.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of blow up

Verb

For example, adding things like brick powder to spices, or white powders to milk, to bulk them up.

— Lorena Galliot, Scientific American, 28 May 2026
His steals total was a bit misleading, and Kansas coach Bill Self will need to bulk him up and teach him more consistent defensive habits.

— Brendan Marks, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026

Definition of bulk

Verb

Repeating that process places significant stress on components, increasing operational and capital costs due to the risk of failure, maintenance requirements and downtime.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Simply increasing your intake of legumes, which includes beans, may be an effective way to drop body fat.

— Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of increase

Verb

For people with diabetes, carbohydrates and sugars can’t be properly balanced by insulin, causing sugars to build up in the blood instead of entering the cells to provide energy.

— Rachael Zimlich, Verywell Health, 26 Sep. 2026
Several days of strong winds will cause water to build up along the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England coast, causing multiple rounds of tidal flooding that could reach 1 to 3 feet above ground that’s normally dry.

— Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of build up

Verb

One thing that isn’t inflated or overexaggerated is the talent in UCF’s backfield, notably Louisville transfer Duke Watson, who is averaging 11 yards per carry and has 297 rushing yards.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026
If their tax refund was inflated by claiming tax credits that don't apply to them, the taxpayer had to verify their ID first and then amend a return before any federal income tax refund could be issued.

— Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of inflate

Verb

The vapors that had risen from warm bodies in the pews would have carried syllables mixed with candle-soot, distilled as condensation on the chapel windows.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Amazon has set a goal to be net-zero carbon by 2040, but Hurst said the firm will likely see emissions rise in the near term as the data center buildout heats up.

— Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of rise

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

puffs (up)

puff (up)

puffy

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Puff (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puff%20%28up%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of puff (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

argot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes