pʌf n. & v. --n. 1 a a
short quick blast of
breath or wind. b
the sound of
this; a
similar sound. c a
small quantity of
vapour,
smoke,
etc., emitted in
one blast (went up in a puff of smoke). 2 a
cake etc. containing
jam,
cream, etc.,
and made of
light esp. puff
pastry. 3 a gathered mass of
material in a
dress etc. (puff sleeve). 4 a rolled
protuberant mass of
hair. 5 a an extravagantly
enthusiastic review of a
book etc., esp. in a
newspaper. b an
advertisement for goods etc., esp. in a newspaper. 6 = powder-puff. 7 US an
eiderdown. 8 colloq. one's
life (in
all my puff). --v. 1 intr.
emit a puff of
air or breath; blow
with short blasts. 2 intr. (usu. foll. by
away,
out, etc.) (of a
person smoking, a
steam engine, etc.) emit or
move with puffs (puffing away at
his cigar; a
train puffed out of the station). 3 tr. (usu. in
passive;
often foll. by out) put out of breath (arrived
somewhat puffed; completely puffed
him out). 4 intr.
breathe hard;
pant. 5 tr. utter pantingly ('No more,' he puffed). 6 intr. & tr. (usu. foll. by
up, out)
become or
cause to become inflated;
swell (his
eye was inflamed and puffed up; puffed up the balloon). 7 tr. (usu. foll. by out, up, away) blow or emit (dust, smoke, a light
object, etc.) with a puff. 8 tr. smoke (a
pipe etc.) in puffs. 9 tr. (usu. as puffed up adj.)
elate;
make proud or
boastful. 10 tr.
advertise or
promote (goods, a book, etc.) with exaggerated or
false praise. øpuff-adder a
large venomous African viper, Bitis arietans,
which inflates the upper
part of
its body and hisses
when excited. puff and blow =
sense 4 of v.
puff-ball any of
various fungi having a ball-shaped
spore case. puff pastry light
flaky pastry. puff-puff
Brit. a
childish word for a steam-engine or train. puff up = sense 9 of v. [ME puf, puffe, perh. f. OE, imit. of the sound of breath]