PUFF | Definition and Meaning

Definition of Puff

Puff

puff

Definition/Meaning

(noun)

a short gust or sudden burst of something like air, often visible as a cloud of smoke or vapor, or an explosive sound that may be produced by this;

e.g. With a puff, he pulled himself onto the tree branch. The lamp gave off a puff of dark smoke. We heard a puff from the engine as it ran.

(noun)

the action of taking in smoke from a cigarette, cigar, or pipe;

e.g. She took a puff from her cigarette and stubbed it out.

(noun)

a light pastry, often formed into a hollow case to contain a filling which may be sweet or savory;

e.g. He enjoyed a fruit puff filled with strawberry jam.

(noun)

a slight rounded swelling, or broadly, something that fluffs out, like a soft quilt, a mass of gathered fabric on a piece of clothing, or a pad for applying powder to the face;

e.g. I could tell from the puff in the wall that water had seeped into it. She snuggled into the puff in bed and tried to get warm.

(noun)

(informal) a piece of writing, typically in the form of a review of a literary or artistic work, that offers too much praise or is too generous with compliments;

e.g. The magazine published a puff of the movie that mainly focused on the performance of one actor.

(verb)

to take in or give out short and sudden bursts of air, for example to breathe in this way, to move with noisy bursts of steam or air, or to smoke a cigarette/cigar/pipe;

e.g. They started to puff once they were halfway up the mountain. We heard the train puff away from the station. He started to puff on a cigar.

(verb)

to become swollen or to cause something to do this, sometimes figuratively, as to offer false and often exaggerated praise when advertising something;

e.g. The trapped air caused the bag to puff up and stretch. His reviews often puff up the product and make false claims.

(verb)

to act in an overly proud, arrogant, or scornful manner;

e.g. She started to puff about her achievement even though it wasn't very unique.

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