puffy
adjective
\ ˈpə-fē
\
\
puffier;
puffiest
Definition of puffy
1a
: swollen in size : bloated
puffy lips … Hagrid gazed at him for a moment through his puffy, blackened eyes, apparently taken aback.— J. K. Rowling … who was … blind drunk, her voice slurry and her face puffy.— Edna O'Brien
also
: chubby
Fatty Hicks, the shrill and puffy son of Nat, flapped his hand at the beautiful stranger … — Sinclair Lewis
b
: having a puffed up form or appearance : soft, light, and fluffy
puffy white clouds a puffy bun puffy hair It is very difficult to shake hands when you're wearing ski mittens. They're so puffy and fat it's like shaking hands with giant marshmallows.— Ann M. Martin Not far away is a Georgian bakery where we found long, puffy loaves of wonderfully crisp bread.— Jeffrey Steingarten
2
: blowing in puffs : gusty
a strong, puffy wind
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Other Words from puffy
puffiness
\ ˈpə-fē-nəs
\
noun
\
noun
Symptoms include nausea and vomiting, muscle weakness, headache and disorientation, as well as bloating and puffiness in the face and fingers.
— Susan Gilbert
Examples of puffy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mumps is a virus that causes swollen glands, puffy cheeks, fever, headaches and, in severe cases, hearing loss and meningitis. — USA TODAY, "Space dummy, Bigfoot denial, pumped-up pumpkin: News from around our 50 states," 2 Sep. 2019 Most people will then see swollen glands, causing puffy cheeks and jaw. — Susan Scutti, CNN, "Hundreds of detained migrants have had mumps, CDC reports," 30 Aug. 2019 Fermented for three days, the interior of the puffy rims is plush and easy to pull out, satisfyingly squidgy like the stuffing of a teddy bear. — Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, "Flour + Water Pizzeria, the home of the $8 slice and much, much more," 29 Aug. 2019 Its pixel art is gorgeous, with details down to puffy orange foam on headphones and its emphasis on neon as a contrast to cookie-cutter homes and as a beacon into something unknown. — Todd Martens, chicagotribune.com, "The buzzed-about game ’198X’ isn’t just about ’80s arcade nostalgia, but about trying to find your place in the world," 5 Aug. 2019 Perhaps some of those snapshots will reveal a puffy, glowing doughnut of rock vapor where a planet used to be. — Simon J. Lock, Scientific American, "When Earth and the Moon Were One," 2 July 2019 Years ago, a dermatologist told me that the best thing for puffy eyes was moist tea bags. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Tom Ford Is Launching a Skin-Care Collection Called Tom Ford Research," 18 July 2019 After the game, the left side of his face, under his eye was clearly still very puffy. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "In lights out fashion, Pearland East 10s capture Section 3 championship," 9 July 2019 Her face was puffy and scabbed, her arms were scarred by needle marks, and an abscess the size of a kitchen sponge floated under tight skin near her elbow. — Steve Lopez, latimes.com, "Meth addiction is an epidemic, and it’s complicating the homeless relief effort," 29 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'puffy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for puffy
puffy
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of puffy
: larger than normal
: soft and light
See the full definition for puffy in the English Language Learners Dictionary
puffy
adjective
\ ˈpə-fē\
puffier;
puffiest
Kids Definition of puffy
1
: somewhat swollen
a puffy face
2
: soft, light, and rounded
… It is very difficult to shake hands when you're wearing ski mittens. They're so puffy …— Ann M. Martin, Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation
3
: breathless sense 1
He was still puffy after the long run.
4
: blowing in puffs
puffy smoke
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