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
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
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
-
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
-
If nothing else, his wealth of experience, ability to recognize coverages and check the Browns into advantageous situations should be the bare minimum for an offense gasping for life.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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Whoopi Goldberg informed the studio audience of his death live on the air, with some gasping.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Even progressive critics from the party’s activist wing are applauding Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who are insisting that any government spending package must extend health care subsidies that are set to expire at the year’s end.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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The sight of a player first hearing their own chant and applauding the fans for it is a nourishing one.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
While praising intent, Farley cautioned that current policies alone will not solve the demand crisis; as production expands domestically, the absence of a skilled workforce could drive up costs, create delays, and ultimately hurt both businesses and consumers.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
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The film was well-received after its Venice debut with many critics praising Oscar nominee Seyfried’s performance in particular.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Elizabeth Warren, who’s from Oklahoma, left me a voicemail the other day congratulating us on our 1 million YouTube subscribers.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
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But none of that mattered when the caps were coming off and Americans were congratulating Europeans.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Certainly not once the front and rear heated seats and front massaging seats are powered on.—
Scotty Reiss,
Forbes.com,
8 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 8 Oct. 2025.
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