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| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | pyffan, from the sound |
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puff1
1 [intransitive]HBH to breathe quickly and with difficulty after the effort of running, carrying something heavy etc :
➔ huff and puff
at huff1 (1)2 [intransitive and transitive] also puff away to breathe in and out while smoking a cigarette or 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.
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]TTT to move in a particular direction, sending out little clouds of steam or smoke : The train puffed steadily across the bridge.
The train puffed steadily across the bridge.puff something ↔ out
phrasal verbpuff out your cheeks/chest
HBHHenry puffed out his chest proudly.puff up
phrasal verb1 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.
The pastry will puff up while it bakes.2MI 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.
My eye had puffed up because of a mosquito bite.