noun
puff
puhf
noun
1
A short burst of breath, air, or smoke.
"A puff of smoke rose from the chimney."
"He took a puff of his cigarette and looked away."
verb
1
To breathe quickly and heavily, especially from exertion.
"She was puffing hard by the top of the hill."
2
To swell or inflate, often followed by "up."
"The bird puffed up its feathers in the cold."
3
To praise something excessively, especially for promotional purposes.
"The reviews were clearly puffed by the studio's own marketing team."
How to Use Puff
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA quick burst of air or breath — or, as a verb, to breathe hard, swell up, or oversell something.
Common pairings
puff of smoke
out of puff
puff up
puff a cigarette
Word Forms
puffed past tense, puffs plural, puffs singular
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A _____ of smoke rose from the chimney.
Etymology
From Old English pyf, "a blast of wind," of imitative (sound-based) origin.