puff
[noun]
Synonyms:
- blast, breath, draught, gust, whiff
- smoke, drag (slang), pull
[verb]
Synonyms:
- blow, breathe, exhale, gasp, gulp, pant, wheeze
- smoke, drag (slang), draw, inhale, pull at or on, suck
- usually with up: swell, bloat, dilate, distend, expand, inflate

---

Related Idioms: huff and puff, pant and blow
Related Words: inhalation, inhaling, promo, boost, buildup, push, laudation, praise

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. puff¹ /pʌf/ verb
[Language: Old English; Origin: pyffan, from the sound]

1. [intransitive] to breathe quickly and with difficulty after the effort of running, carrying something heavy etc:
George puffed and panted as he tried to keep up.
puff along/up etc
An old man puffed up to them.
He caught up with Gary, puffing for breath. ⇒ huff and puff at huff¹(1)

2. [intransitive and transitive] (also puff away) to breathe in and out while smoking a cigarette or pipe
puff at/on
Kinane sat in silence, puffing thoughtfully at his pipe.

3. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] if smoke, steam etc puffs from somewhere, or if something puffs it, it comes out in little clouds:
Steam puffed out of the chimney.
The boiler was puffing thick black smoke.
Don’t puff smoke into my face.

4. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move in a particular direction, sending out little clouds of steam or smoke:
The train puffed steadily across the bridge.
puff something ↔ out phrasal verb
puff out your cheeks/chest to make your cheeks or chest bigger by filling them with air:
Henry puffed out his chest proudly.
puff up phrasal verb

1. to become bigger by increasing the amount of air inside, or to make something bigger in this way:
The pastry will puff up while it bakes.
puff something ↔ up
Birds puff up their feathers to keep warm.

2. if a part of your body puffs up, it swells painfully because of injury or infection:
My eye had puffed up because of a mosquito bite.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. puff² noun

1. [countable] the action of taking the smoke from a cigarette, pipe etc into your lungs
puff on/at
He laughed and took a puff on his cigar.

2. [countable] a sudden small movement of wind, air, or smoke
puff of smoke/wind/air/steam etc
The dragon disappeared in a puff of smoke.

3. cheese/jam/cream etc puff a piece of light pastry with a soft mixture inside

4. [uncountable] British English informal your breath:
I was out of puff (=had difficulty breathing).

5. [countable] (also puff piece) a piece of writing or a speech that praises someone too much – used to show disapproval

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

puff
noun
I. of air/smoke/wind
ADJ. little, tiny
PREP. ~ of a little puff of smoke

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

puff
II. on a cigarette/pipe, etc.
ADJ. long | short
VERB + PUFF have, take He took a long puff at his cigar and began his story.
PREP. ~ at/on a puff on her cigarette

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

puff
verb
I. smoke
ADV. furiously, vigorously
ADV. contentedly, happily | thoughtfully | away He puffed away at his cigar.
PREP. at She puffed furiously at her cigarette.
on My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

puff
II. breathe loudly
ADV. hard She was puffing quite hard by the time she reached the office.
loudly
PREP. along, from She was still puffing from the climb.
up puffing up the hill
PHRASES huff and puff/puff and pant She puffed and panted behind the others.
puffing and blowing Far behind us, puffing and blowing, came Matt.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲