1
as in panting
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty
he came running up the stairs puffing and wheezing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
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
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Recent Examples of puffing
And more than anything, more than the animosity between the programs, more than the College Football Playoff impact, more than Notre Dame puffing its chest out as USC backed down, that familiarity was the real higher power at work.
—
Pete Sampson, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The president has increasingly embraced fake images and videos — some appearing to be AI-generated — to mock and taunt political rivals while also puffing up his image.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 4 Oct. 2025
The White House is puffing up its chest like an inevitable victor when the clock reaches Zero Hour.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Designer Jean Paul Gaultier was sandwiched between Kate Moss and Catherine Deneuve, puffing on her vape.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
The original existentialists, all those lovely, gallant, puffing-their-ciggies Parisian men and women, were very happy for everything to be a dilemma.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
This method of deep fueling is more effective at raising the plasma’s core density compared to puffing gas from the vessel’s edge.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
And that’s stirred up more discussions about getting labia puffing or labiaplasty to deal with these effects.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
This is not about puffing up the self, but about joining with something big.
—Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 6 Aug. 2025
Pete Sampson, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The president has increasingly embraced fake images and videos — some appearing to be AI-generated — to mock and taunt political rivals while also puffing up his image.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 4 Oct. 2025
The White House is puffing up its chest like an inevitable victor when the clock reaches Zero Hour.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Designer Jean Paul Gaultier was sandwiched between Kate Moss and Catherine Deneuve, puffing on her vape.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
The original existentialists, all those lovely, gallant, puffing-their-ciggies Parisian men and women, were very happy for everything to be a dilemma.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
This method of deep fueling is more effective at raising the plasma’s core density compared to puffing gas from the vessel’s edge.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
And that’s stirred up more discussions about getting labia puffing or labiaplasty to deal with these effects.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
This is not about puffing up the self, but about joining with something big.
—Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffing
Verb
-
The dog was panting and shifting from one foot to the other.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
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Howard’s best comedies have a light, almost effortless touch, but this one is panting and gasping essentially from the opening frames.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One game, especially one so dominated by the defense, certainly isn’t enough to decide whether this is even an issue, but noted QB whisperer O’Connell has to be stroking his chin.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
22 Sep. 2025
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But Ethan’s out there getting loose and stroking it.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The powerful primate makes contact with the glass wall with a heavy thud, which leaves the group near the wall gasping and yelping in fear.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Reactions from the crowd can be heard in the background — with zoo visitors gasping.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The sweet gesture had some fans applauding the couple's growth during their time in the public eye.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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The two men are surrounded by applauding officials while confetti falls in the background.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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People in the comments responded jubilantly, praising the train for chowing down on another soul.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
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When the plug was pulled back in May, Congressman Brian Babin—a Texas Republican and chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee—issued a statement praising the move.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Viewer Reactions The TikTok video reached over 110,000 views, nearly 8,000 likes and 2277 comments, with people congratulating the owner on their new home and melting over the dog's precious reaction.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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International Game Technology shared the big win in a Facebook post and a few people commented congratulating the winner.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacbee.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Simply moisten the skin on the face and massaging the formula in circular motions.—
Beatrice Zocchi,
Vogue,
7 Oct. 2025
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Create some suspense and anticipation by going in slowly, starting with the head and just massaging it slightly with the tip of your tongue.—
Ian Kumamoto,
Them.,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After commending leaders for their work, the president spoke of changes being made at the Pentagon, including the decision to rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Cozens’ former teammate Kyle Okposo took to Cozens right away, even commending the youngster for his leadership skills.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffing. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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