puff

[[t]pʌ̱f[/t]]

puffs, puffing, puffed

1) VERB If someone puffs at a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, they smoke it.

[V at/on n] He lit a cigar and puffed at it twice...

[V at/on n] He nodded and puffed on a stubby pipe as he listened. [Also V n, V]

Syn:

drag

N-COUNT

Puff is also a noun.

She was taking quick puffs at her cigarette like a beginner.

2) V-ERG If you puff smoke or moisture from your mouth or if it puffs from your mouth, you breathe it out.

[V n] Richard lit another cigarette and puffed smoke towards the ceiling...

[V prep] The weather was dry and cold; wisps of steam puffed from their lips.

PHRASAL VERB

Puff out means the same as puff.

Also V n P V P n (not pron) He drew heavily on his cigarette and puffed out a cloud of smoke.

3) VERB If an engine, chimney, or boiler puffs smoke or steam, clouds of smoke or steam come out of it.

[V n] As I completed my 26th lap the Porsche puffed blue smoke.

4) N-COUNT: usu N of n A puff of something such as air or smoke is a small amount of it that is blown out from somewhere.

Wind caught the sudden puff of dust and blew it inland.

5) VERB: usu cont If you are puffing, you are breathing loudly and quickly with your mouth open because you are out of breath after a lot of physical effort.

I know nothing about boxing, but I could see he was unfit, because he was puffing.

6) N-COUNT A puff for something such as a book, film, product, or organization is something that is done or said in order to attract people's attention and tell them how good it is. [mainly AM, INFORMAL]

What is presented to the public as a critical evaluation is really an elaborate puff for him and his magazine.

Syn:

plug

VERB

Puff is also a verb.

V n He puffed the new system by showing how badly his existing system performed by comparison.

7) N-COUNT A puff is the same as a poof. [BRIT, INFORMAL, OFFENSIVE]

8) → See also puffed

Phrasal Verbs:

- puff out

- puff up