What does puffing mean?
Puffing is the act of breathing hard in short, forceful breaths, often because of exertion, heat, or excitement. It can also describe blowing air outward in bursts, as with smoke, steam, or a person inflating their cheeks, and can mean moving forward while breathing heavily. The word is vivid because it evokes both audible breathing and visible clouds of vapor. It is widely used in British and American English, from descriptions of a tired runner puffing along to the engine of a train puffing steam. Although puffing can imply effort, it does not always suggest distress: a person might puff after climbing stairs, while a kettle gently puffs as it comes to the boil. In older clothing terminology, puffing also describes sleeves that are gathered into a rounded fullness at the shoulder.
To breathe hard with short, forceful breaths; to emit air, smoke, steam, or vapor in bursts; or to become slightly inflated.
"The train began puffing as it pulled away from the station."
The phrase puffing along describes moving forward while breathing hard, especially after exertion.
Of clothing, especially sleeves: gathered into a rounded fullness at the shoulder and sometimes narrowed at the wrist.
"The portrait depicts a woman wearing a blue dress with puffing sleeves."
This use is chiefly associated with historical or period clothing.
Puffing is the sound of breath made visible: smoke, steam, hot food, and exertion can all send air floating into the air.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does puffing come from?
Puffing is formed from the Middle English word puff, which was already in use by the late medieval period and is attested in several related forms. The precise origin of puff is uncertain; it has been associated with imitative forms representing a sudden blast of breath, but this explanation is not certain. The present-participle form puffing follows the ordinary English pattern of adding -ing to a verb.
Related word forms
How puffing is actually used
Puffing is common in both British and American English. When it describes breathing, it often suggests exertion, heat, or breathlessness; when applied to smoke or steam, it describes short, forceful bursts rather than a continuous flow.