PUFFING Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

puffing

verb

present participle of puff

as in panting

to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty he came running up the stairs puffing and wheezing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in stroking

to praise too much a talk show host who can be counted on to puff up the celebrities who readily consent to be interviewed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of puffing Ever since the German medical scientist Franz Hermann Müller published solid evidence of a link between smoking and lung cancer in 1939, the health risks of puffing on tobacco have only become clearer. — Mike McRae 10, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026 Throughout Thursday’s ruling, Judge Bryan Biedscheid compared Meta and its suite of apps to a factory — and its harm to puffing toxins into the air. — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 The sight of a dough puffing, cheese oozing out its side, becoming browned and crispy…who cannot be swayed? — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 July 2026 Set in an alternate past during Japan's Meiji era, the world of Sparks of Tomorrow is totally reliant on steam power, with massive boilers constantly puffing away. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 July 2026 Solar maximum was reached in late 2024, heating and puffing the Earth’s atmosphere, increasing the drag on all satellites. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 2 July 2026 Despite those flashes on the counter, Potter will have probably felt like puffing his cheeks and throwing his hands in the air. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 30 June 2026 In the mid-2000s, after getting the worst of it during a few hurricanes, the external panels had to be replaced, but they were faithfully reproduced down to the bull’s steam-puffing nostrils. — Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026 Hilton asked the same cigar-puffing audience Friday moments after Bianco spoke. — Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffing

Verb

The delivery person added that none of the canines appeared to have access to food or sufficient water, and that all the animals were panting.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
Dogs primarily rely on panting, while cats also groom themselves to help regulate body temperature.

— Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 21 July 2026

Definition of panting

Verb

Guests have reported footsteps in the attic, the feeling of someone stroking their face, a shower rode repeatedly flying off the wall and loud noises from outside the front door when no one is there.

— Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
There was only one other visitor, another mother stroking another small head.

— Fran Moreland Johns, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026

Definition of stroking

Verb

Common symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, gasping for air during the night, and waking up feeling tired.

— Lindsay Curtis, HEALTH, 27 Sep. 2026
The restaurant next to the nearby police department is shuttered; the restaurant across the street from it is long dead, and the once-vibrant downtown — which generated revenue that benefited every neighborhood of the city — is gasping.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of gasping

Verb

So how did that work out for you, with this whole world applauding you for this, and then knowing people are pissed off too?

— Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
The post was accompanied by pictures of him in a Man City shirt celebrating with club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, lifting the Champions League trophy, applauding the fans and celebrating the Premier League title in 2023.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of applauding

Verb

In Rubin’s case, that amounted to a single video of him speaking at the event, while Ventura posted nearly two dozen times praising Hilton or attacking Becerra.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Rather than rebut them, Paxton uses footage of his daughter Mattie Hayworth praising him as a fighter for family values and role model for his grandchildren.

— Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of praising

Verb

In between posts promoting her events, Campbell Ortiz frequently posted about her children, congratulating one daughter for graduating high school and wishing one son happy birthday and cheering on his basketball team.

— Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026
Try sending a useful article, congratulating a client on a milestone, sharing an industry development or simply checking in periodically.

— Peter Burns, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of congratulating

Browse Nearby Words

puffery

puffing

puffing (up)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Puffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffing. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of puffing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

regimen

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes