puffs (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of puff (up)
as in blows up

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffs (up)
  1. blows up
  2. increases
  3. rolls up
  4. builds up
  5. rises
  6. inflates
  7. mushrooms
  8. proliferates
Verb
  • The person who blows up at a subordinate under stress has usually been subtly condescending in one-on-ones for months.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Frequent zoom-ins shown on screens showed sweat dripping down his face, and his hair resembled something similar to a mad scientist after an experiment blows up in their face.
    — Joseph Hernandez August 13, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of blows up
Verb
  • But if that decision introduces longer transportation times, reduces product shelf life or increases waste, the gain in one KPI may negatively affect KPIs for shipping, customer satisfaction, loss prevention, etc.
    — Guy Yehiav, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • While the first dose means a child is largely protected from the infections, a second dose increases protection.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • Morning Consult rolls up its poll results over a three-month period to calculate the state approval rating.
    — Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • And so the world’s least qualified transportation team rolls up to Sheridan’s parents’ mansion in Mark’s beat-up red sedan, completely unprepared for the ride of their lives.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rolls up
Verb
  • Eventually that carbon will begin to fuse into neon, then the neon will fuse into magnesium, and so on up the periodic table until iron builds up in the core.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
  • This happens when water in front of the tire builds up faster than the vehicle's weight can push water out of the way.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of builds up
Verb
  • The damage to the sport, in terms of lost revenues and fan disengagement, rises the more games that are missed.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • That stored energy could then be recovered when electricity demand rises.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • But opting to keep school open during heavy snow means a greater chance of parents keeping their kids home, which inflates chronic absenteeism rates.
    — Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Sure, training camp always inflates the reputations of a receiver who can win a 50-50 ball against second-string cornerbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of inflates
Verb
  • Sauté morel mushrooms about five minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The investigation mushrooms Bock, the Feeding Our Future founder whom prosecutors called the mastermind of the fraud, was found guilty in March 2025.
    — David Ingram, NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
Definition of mushrooms
Verb
  • For the wine fans, there are multitudes of cellar doors showcasing the brilliant Shiraz and Grenache that proliferates here--the product of ancient limestone soil, as well as some of the oldest continually-producing grape vines in the world.
    — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Every day that this virus proliferates increases the risk to American lives.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 22 June 2026
Definition of proliferates
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

puffs
puffs (up)
puff (up)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puffs (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffs%20%28up%29. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All