puff
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puff
(pŭf)n.
1.
a. A short forceful exhalation of breath.
b. A short sudden gust of wind.
c. A brief sudden emission of air, vapor, or smoke.
d. A short sibilant sound produced by a puff.
2. An amount of vapor, smoke, or similar material released in a puff.
3. An act of drawing in and expelling the breath, as in smoking tobacco.
4. A swelling or rounded protuberance.
5. Puff pastry.
6. A light soft pad for applying powder or lotion.
7. A gathered, protruding portion of fabric.
8. A light padded bed covering.
9.
a. An approving or flattering recommendation.
b. A piece of writing, as on the jacket of a book, containing often exaggerated praise, used for promotional purposes.
10. Genetics A localized region of swelling in certain chromosomes indicating the active synthesis of RNA.
v. puffed, puff·ing, puffs
v.intr.
1. To blow in puffs.
2. To come forth in puffs: steam puffing from an engine.
3. To breathe forcefully and rapidly: huffed and puffed up the stairs.
4. To emit puffs.
5. To take puffs on smoking material: puffing on a cigar.
6. To swell or seem to swell, as with pride or air. Often used with up: He puffed up and glared at the importuning questioner.
v.tr.
1. To emit or give forth in puffs.
2. To impel with puffs.
3. To smoke (a cigar, for example).
4. To inflate or distend: The wind puffed out the sail.
5. To fill with pride or conceit: The compliment puffed up his ego.
6. To publicize with often exaggerated praise: publishers who puff their new books.
[From Middle English puffen, to puff, from Old English pyffan, perhaps of imitative origin.]
puff′i·ly adv.
puff′i·ness n.
puff′y adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
puff
(pʌf)n
1. a short quick draught, gust, or emission, as of wind, smoke, air, etc, esp a forceful one
2. the amount of wind, smoke, etc, released in a puff
3. the sound made by or associated with a puff
4. (Physiology) an instance of inhaling and expelling the breath as in smoking
5. a swelling
6. (Cookery) a light aerated pastry usually filled with cream, jam, etc
7. (Clothing & Fashion) a powder puff
8. (Marketing) exaggerated praise, as of a book, product, etc, esp through an advertisement
9. (Clothing & Fashion) a piece of clothing fabric gathered up so as to bulge in the centre while being held together at the edges
10. (Hairdressing & Grooming) a loose piece of hair wound into a cylindrical roll, usually over a pad, and pinned in place in a coiffure
11. (Knitting & Sewing) a less common word for quilt1
12. (Physiology) one's breath (esp in the phrase out of puff)
13. slang offensive a male homosexual
14. (Plants) a dialect word for puffball
vb
15. (Physiology) to blow or breathe or cause to blow or breathe in short quick draughts or blasts
16. (Physiology) (tr; often foll by out; usually passive) to cause to be out of breath
17. (Physiology) to take puffs or draws at (a cigarette, cigar, or pipe)
18. to move with or by the emission of puffs: the steam train puffed up the incline.
19. (often foll by: up, out, etc) to swell, as with air, pride, etc
20. (Marketing) (tr) to praise with exaggerated empty words, often in advertising
21. (Clothing & Fashion) (tr) to apply (cosmetic powder) from a powder puff to (the face)
22. (Commerce) to increase the price of (a lot in an auction) artificially by having an accomplice make false bids
[Old English pyffan; related to Dutch German puffen, Swiss pfuffen, Norwegian puffa, all of imitative origin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
puff
(pʌf)n.
1. a short, quick blast or emission of air, smoke, vapor, etc.
2. a small emission of vapor, smoke, etc.
3. the sound of an emission of vapor, smoke, etc.
4. an act of inhaling and exhaling, as on a cigarette or pipe; whiff.
5. an inflated or distended part of a thing; swelling; protuberance.
6. a ball of light pastry baked and filled with whipped cream, jam, etc.
7. a portion of material gathered and held down at the edges but left full in the middle, as on a sleeve.
8. a cylindrical roll of hair.
9. a quilted bed covering, usu. filled with down.
10. a commendation, esp. an exaggerated one, of a book, an actor's performance, etc.
11. powder puff.
12. a ball or pad of soft material.
v.i. 13. to blow with short, quick blasts, as the wind.
14. to be emitted in a puff.
15. to emit a puff or puffs of air; breathe quick and hard.
16. to emit puffs of vapor or smoke.
17. to go or move with puffing or puffs: The train puffed into the station.
18. to take puffs at a cigar, cigarette, etc.
19. to become inflated or distended (usu. fol. by up).
v.t. 20. to send forth (air, vapor, etc.) in short, quick blasts.
21. to drive or impel by puffing, or with a short, quick blast.
22. to smoke (a cigar, cigarette, etc.).
23. to inflate or distend, esp. with air.
24. to make fluffy; fluff (often fol. by up): to puff up a pillow.
25. to inflate with pride, vanity, etc. (often fol. by up): Their applause puffed him up.
26. to praise unduly.
27. to arrange in puffs, as the hair.
[1175–1225; (v.) Middle English puffen (compare Middle Dutch puffen, Low German pof, puf); (n.) Middle English puf, puffe; of imitative orig.]
puff′y, adj. puff•i•er, puff•i•est.
puff′i•ly, adv.
puff′i•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Puff
a small quantity emitted in a blast.Examples: puff of breath, 1667; of smoke, 1839; of vapour, 1869; of wind, 1400.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
puff
Past participle: puffed
Gerund: puffing
| Imperative |
|---|
| puff |
| puff |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  puff - a short light gust of air |
| 2. | puff - a light inflated pastry or puff shell pastry - any of various baked foods made of dough or batter cream puff, chou - puff filled with cream or custard | |
| 3. | puff - exaggerated praise (as for promotional purposes) good word, recommendation, testimonial - something that recommends (or expresses commendation of) a person or thing as worthy or desirable | |
| 4. |  puff - bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched togetherpatchwork quilt, patchwork - a quilt made by sewing patches of different materials together | |
| 5. | puff - a soft spherical object made from fluffy fibers; for applying powder to the skin pad - a flat mass of soft material used for protection, stuffing, or comfort | |
| 6. | puff - thick cushion used as a seat seat - furniture that is designed for sitting on; "there were not enough seats for all the guests" | |
| 7. | puff - a slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke); "he took a puff on his pipe"; "he took a drag on his cigarette and expelled the smoke slowly" smoking, smoke - the act of smoking tobacco or other substances; "he went outside for a smoke"; "smoking stinks" breathing in, inhalation, intake, aspiration, inspiration - the act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing toke - a puff of a marijuana or hashish cigarette; "the boys took a few tokes on a joint" | |
| 8. | puff - forceful exhalation through the nose or mouth; "he gave his nose a loud blow"; "he blew out all the candles with a single puff" insufflation - an act of blowing or breathing on or into something | |
| Verb | 1. | puff - smoke and exhale strongly; "puff a cigar"; "whiff a pipe" smoke - inhale and exhale smoke from cigarettes, cigars, pipes; "We never smoked marijuana"; "Do you smoke?" |
| 2. | puff - suck in or take (air); "draw a deep breath"; "draw on a cigarette" breathe in, inhale, inspire - draw in (air); "Inhale deeply"; "inhale the fresh mountain air"; "The patient has trouble inspiring"; "The lung cancer patient cannot inspire air very well" | |
| 3. | puff - breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted; "The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily" blow - exhale hard; "blow on the soup to cool it down" | |
| 4. | puff - make proud or conceited; "The sudden fame puffed her ego" elate, intoxicate, uplift, lift up, pick up - fill with high spirits; fill with optimism; "Music can uplift your spirits" | |
| 5. | puff - praise extravagantly; "The critics puffed up this Broadway production" praise - express approval of; "The parents praised their children for their academic performance" | |
| 6. | puff - speak in a blustering or scornful manner; "A puffing kind of man" | |
| 7. | puff - to swell or cause to enlarge, "Her faced puffed up from the drugs"; "puffed out chests" | |
| 8. | puff - blow hard and loudly; "he huffed and puffed as he made his way up the mountain" blow - exhale hard; "blow on the soup to cool it down" | |
| Adj. | 1. | puff - gathered for protruding fullness; "puff sleeves" fancy - not plain; decorative or ornamented; "fancy handwriting"; "fancy clothes" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
puff
verb
1. smoke, draw, drag (slang), suck, inhale, pull at or on He gave a wry smile as he puffed on his cigarette.
noun
2. blast, breath, flurry, whiff, draught, gust, emanation an occasional puff of air stirring the brittle leaves
3. advertisement, ad (informal), promotion, plug (informal), good word, commendation, sales talk, namecheck, favourable mention, piece of publicity an elaborate puff for his magazine
puff out or up swell, expand, enlarge, inflate, dilate, distend, bloat His chest puffed out with pride.
puff something out or up expand, inflate, stick out, dilate, distend He puffed out his cheeks and let out his breath.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
puff
nounverbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أي شَيْ مَنْفوخ، قُرْص البودْرَهنَفْخَه، هَبَّهيَتَنَفَّس بِصُعوبَهيَنْفُخ، يَنْفُث
bafatbalonovýfoukathekatoddychovat
=-kvastdampepusterygevindpust
pamacspöfékelpuff1
hviîa, gusturmásapúapúîurkvasti; púffermar
dvelktelėjimasišpurtęsištintikamuoliukaspabrinkęs
elst, elsotkamoliņškrokotskuplspūderslotiņa
prudko dýchať
izpuhpihatisopihativdihvleči
puff
[pʌf]A. N
1. [of breathing, engine] → resoplido m; [of air] → soplo m; [of wind] → racha f, ráfaga f; [of smoke] → bocanada f; (on cigarette, pipe) → chupada f
I'm out of puff → estoy sin aliento
I'm out of puff → estoy sin aliento
2. (= powder puff) → borla f
4. (= advert) → bombo m
5. (Drugs) → canabis m
B. VT
C. VI
D. CPD puff adder N → víbora f puff
puff paste N (US) = puff pastry puff pastry N → hojaldre m
puff sleeves NPL → mangas fpl filipinas
puff paste N (US) = puff pastry puff pastry N → hojaldre m
puff sleeves NPL → mangas fpl filipinas
puff away VI + ADV
see puff C
see puff C
puff out VT + ADV
puff up
A. VT + ADV
2. = puff out 2
B. VI + ADV → hincharse
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
puff
[ˈpʌf] n
vt sep
[+ sails] → gonfler
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
puff
n
(of breathing, of engine) → Schnaufen nt no pl; (of horse) → Schnauben nt no pl; (inf: = breath) → Puste f (inf); (on cigarette etc) → Zug m (→ at, of an +dat); a puff of air/wind → ein Luft-/Windstoß m; a puff of smoke → eine Rauchwolke; our hopes vanished in a puff of smoke → unsere Hoffnungen lösten sich in nichts auf; he blew out the candles with or in one puff → er blies die Kerzen auf einmal aus; to be out of puff (Brit inf) → außer Puste sein (inf)
(= powder puff) → Quaste f
vt
vi (person, train) → schnaufen; (horse) → schnauben; (wind) → blasen; (chimney, smoke) → qualmen; he was puffing and panting → er pustete und schnaufte; the train puffed into the station → der Zug fuhr schnaufend in den Bahnhof ein; to puff (away) at or on a cigar → an einer Zigarre paffen
puff
:puff adder
n → Puffotter f
puffball
n (Bot) → Bovist m
puff
:puff pastry, (US) puff paste
n → Blätterteig m
puff-puff
n (baby-talk) (= train) → Puffpuff f (baby-talk); (= sound) → Puffpuff nt
puff sleeve
n → Puffärmel m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
puff
[pʌf]1. n
a. (of breath) → soffio; (of engine) → sbuffare m; (of air, wind) → folata, soffio; (of smoke) → sbuffo; (of cigarette) → tiro, boccata
I'm out of puff (fam) → sono senza fiato
I'm out of puff (fam) → sono senza fiato
c. (Culin) cream puff → sfogliatina alla panna
2. vt
a. to puff (out) smoke → mandar fuori fumo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
puff
(paf) noun1. a small blast of air, wind etc; a gust. A puff of wind moved the branches.
2. any of various kinds of soft, round, light or hollow objects. a powder puff; (also adjective) puff sleeves.
verb1. to blow in small blasts. Stop puffing cigarette smoke into my face!; He puffed at his pipe.
2. to breathe quickly, after running etc. He was puffing as he climbed the stairs.
puffed adjective short of breath; breathing quickly. I'm puffed after running so fast!
ˈpuffy adjective swollen, especially unhealthily. a puffy face/ankle.
puff pastry a light, flaky type of pastry.
puff out to cause to swell or expand. The bird puffed out its feathers; He puffed out his cheeks.
puff up to swell. Her eye (was all) puffed up after the wasp stung her.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
puff
n (fam, of an inhaler) inhalación fEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.