Synonyms of puffing

puffing

verb

present participle of puff

1

as in panting

to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty

he came running up the stairs puffing and wheezing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• panting
• gasping
• heaving
• wheezing
• blowing
• snoring
• huffing
• choking
• hyperventilating
• being out of breath
• gulping
• gagging
• asphyxiating
• exhaling
• stifling
• smothering
• strangling
• snuffling
• expiring

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

• stroking
• applauding
• praising
• congratulating
• massaging
• commending
• coaxing
• flattering
• cajoling
• honeying
• buttering up
• overpraising
• belauding
• adulating
• wheedling
• wooing
• fawning
• extolling
• kowtowing
• blarneying
• complimenting
• toadying
• sucking (up to)
• eulogizing
• idolizing
• hero-worshipping
• soft-soaping
• lauding
• sweet-talking
• blandishing
• ingratiating
• felicitating
• gushing
• slavering
• romancing
• worshipping
• slobbering
• courting
• drooling
• endearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disparaging
• belittling
• decrying
• putting down
• depreciating
• bad-mouthing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of puffing

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

But, alas, there are no other young male seals in the residential streets of Hobart to practice chest-puffing and sparring with. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 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

Some people still try to breathe through their mouth during sleep, a phenomenon called 'mouth puffing. — Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 9 Apr. 2026