puffing

verb

Definition of puffingnext
present participle of puff
1
as in panting
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty he came running up the stairs puffing and wheezing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in stroking
to praise too much a talk show host who can be counted on to puff up the celebrities who readily consent to be interviewed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffing
  1. panting
  2. applauding
  3. coaxing
  4. flattering
Verb
  • There were also canvas-panting and pumpkin-decorating stations, among other exciting things for the kids to do.
    Becca Longmire, People.com, 21 Oct. 2024
  • This works, Brian says, and leans back against the wall, the dog panting less, the faint whinny of a horse, an airplane.
    Paul Yoon, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2024
Definition of panting
Verb
  • There’s always somebody at the bottom trying to tear you down, and everybody else at the top is applauding.
    Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
  • But the Facebook clip doesn't show the European Parliament applauding this decision.
    Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 3 Dec. 2024
Definition of applauding
Verb
  • Tech companies are slowly but surely coaxing filmmakers into tinkering with their AI tools.
    Brian Welk, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2024
  • Like most gifted writers and producers who are better at helping others realize their vision than coaxing out one of their own, Finneas’ solo work comes off more like a killer job application than an argument for a unique artistic perspective.
    Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2024
Definition of coaxing
Verb
  • Known for its body-flattering shapes and timeless silhouettes, these clothes can’t be missed.
    Michelle Mastro, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2024
  • Each model was given a skin tone-flattering base shade, ranging from beige to dark brown, topped with Zoya Nail Polish in Sawyer, a soft coral, at the tips and dots at the cuticles.
    Allure Editors, Allure, 21 Oct. 2024
Definition of flattering
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near puffing

puffery

puffing

puffing (up)

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Puffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffing. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on puffing

Nglish: Translation of puffing for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of puffing for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...