puff

puff  (pf)

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.

5. To fill with pride or conceit.

6. To publicize with often exaggerated praise: publishers who puff their new books.

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[From Middle English puffen, to puff, from Old English pyffan, perhaps of imitative origin.]

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puffi·ly adv.

puffi·ness n.

puffy adj.

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puff

Noun

1. a short quick blast of breath, wind, or smoke

2. the amount of wind or smoke released in a puff

3. the sound made by a puff

4. out of puff out of breath: by the third flight of stairs she was out of puff

5. an act of inhaling and expelling cigarette smoke

6. a light pastry usually filled with cream and jam

Verb

1. to blow or breathe in short quick blasts

2. (often foll. by out)to cause to be out of breath

3. to take draws at (a cigarette)

4. to move with or by the emission of puffs: the steam train puffed up the incline

5. (often foll. by up, out)to swell [Old English pyffan]

puffy adj

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Puff a small quantity emitted in a blast.

Examples: puff of breath, 1667; of smoke, 1839; of vapour, 1869; of wind, 1400.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	puff - a short light gust of air puff of air, whiff gust, blast, blow - a strong current of air; "the tree was bent almost double by the gust"
	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 together quilt, comforter, comfort bed clothing, bedclothes, bedding - coverings that are used on a bed continental quilt, duvet, eiderdown - a soft quilt usually filled with the down of the eider patchwork 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 powderpuff pad - a flat mass of soft material used for protection, stuffing, or comfort
	6.	puff - thick cushion used as a seat hassock, pouffe, pouf, ottoman 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" drag, pull 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" blow breathing out, exhalation, expiration - the act of expelling air from the lungs insufflation - an act of blowing or breathing on or into something
Verb	1.	puff - smoke and exhale strongly; "puff a cigar"; "whiff a pipe" whiff 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" drag, draw 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" gasp, pant, heave 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" puff up 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" boast, brag, gasconade, shoot a line, vaunt, tout, gas, bluster, swash, blow - show off
	7.	puff - to swell or cause to enlarge, "Her faced puffed up from the drugs"; "puffed out chests" puff out, puff up, blow up swell up, tumesce, tumefy, intumesce, swell - expand abnormally; "The bellies of the starving children are swelling"
	8.	puff - blow hard and loudly; "he huffed and puffed as he made his way up the mountain" chuff, huff blow - exhale hard; "blow on the soup to cool it down"
Adj.	1.	puff - gathered for protruding fullness; "puff sleeves" puffed fancy - not plain; decorative or ornamented; "fancy handwriting"; "fancy clothes"

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puff

verb 1. smoke, draw, drag (slang) suck, inhale, pull at or on

verb 2. breathe heavily, pant, exhale, blow, gasp, gulp, wheeze, fight for breath, puff and pant

verb 3. promote, push, plug (informal) hype, publicize, advertise, praise, crack up (informal) big up (slang), chiefly Caribbean overpraise

noun 4. drag, pull (slang) moke

noun 5. blast, breath, flurry, whiff, draught, gust, emanation

noun 6. advertisement, ad (informal) promotion, plug (informal) good word, commendation, sales talk, favourable mention, piece of publicity

puff out or up swell, expand, enlarge, inflate, dilate, distend, bloat

Translations

puff [pʌf] n → soplo; [of smoke] → bocanada; [of breathing, engine] → resoplido (= powder puff); borla

vt to puff one's pipe → dar chupadas a la pipa;

(also: puff out) [+ sails, cheeks]; hinchar, inflar vi (gen) → soplar (= pant); jadear;

to puff out smoke → echar humo

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puff [pʌf] n → bouffée f

vt to puff one's pipe → tirer sur sa pipe;

(also: puff out) [+ sails, cheeks]; gonfler vi → sortir par bouffées (= pant); haleter;

to puff out smoke → envoyer des bouffées de fumée

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puff [pʌf] n [of cigarette, pipe] → Zug m (= gasp); Schnaufer m [of air] → Stoß m [of smoke] → Wolke f

vt (also: puff on, puff at) [+ cigarette, pipe]; ziehen an +dat

vi (= gasp) → keuchen, schnaufen

puff out puff vt [+ one's chest] → herausdrücken [+ one's cheeks]; aufblasen

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puff [pʌf] n → sbuffo;

(also: powder puff) → piumino

vt (also: puff out) [+ sails, cheeks]; gonfiare

vi → uscire a sbuffi (= pant); ansare;

to puff out smoke → mandar fuori sbuffi di fumo;

to puff one's pipe → tirare sboccate di fumo