puffing (up)

present participle of puff (up)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffing (up)
Verb
  • His right ankle was both dislocated and fractured, the brutal byproduct of Niners safety Ji’Ayir Brown trying to make a tackle on Tampa Bay’s third offensive possession and rolling up into the back of Warner’s legs.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
  • These Pathfinder Performance pants set a great example, with snaps that make rolling up the legs a breeze and a stretchy draw cord for dialing in fit.
    Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • At the same time, Netanyahu did — and still does — everything possible to weaken the Palestinian Authority, which cooperates every day with Israeli security services to keep the West Bank from blowing up.
    Thomas Friedman, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Warner had already made his presence felt early, blowing up a screen pass for a 2-yard loss on Tampa Bay’s initial possession.
    Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The singer has spent the past 20 years building up one of the most successful music careers of all time, and she only recently got engaged at the age of 35 to fiancé Travis Kelce.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Smoke was building up inside as Balmer deployed the second incendiary device.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The echoes of this feeling resounded clearly three centuries later in the increasing disconnect between suburban mobility and localism.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Districts saw little improvement overall, with the average score increasing by half a percentage point in both subjects.
    Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 18 Oct. 2025
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

Cite this Entry

“Puffing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffing%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!