Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Swollen or distended; appearing larger or fuller than usual, often due to being filled with air or a soft material. This describes the physical state of something that is expanded or inflated.
   • Made with extra fabric gathered or pleated to create a full, rounded shape. This is a specific term in clothing and textiles, describing a style where material is intentionally gathered to protrude.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • After the allergic reaction, her eyes were puffed and itchy. (Her eyes were swollen.)
  • The puffed sleeves on the vintage dress gave it a romantic look. (The sleeves were gathered to be full and rounded.)
  • He ate the puffed rice cereal for breakfast. (The rice grains were expanded by heat, making them light and airy.)

Advanced Usage

• "Puffed up": This phrasal adjective often carries a figurative meaning of being swollen with pride, arrogance, or self-importance.
  • After winning the award, he became quite puffed up with his own success. (He became arrogant and full of himself.)

Variants and Related Words

• Puff (verb): To swell or cause to swell; to blow in short gusts.
  • The wind puffed the sails.
• Puffy (adjective): Slightly swollen; soft and rounded.
  • She had puffy eyes from crying.
• Puffiness (noun): The state of being puffy or swollen.
  • The puffiness in her ankle went down after she rested.

Synonyms

• Swollen: Enlarged or distended, typically from pressure or injury.
• Distended: Swollen due to pressure from inside.
• Bloated: Swollen with fluid or gas.
• Gathered (for fabric): Drawn together in folds.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Puff out: To cause something to swell or protrude.
  • The bird puffed out its chest.
• Puff up: To swell or inflate; to make someone feel overly proud (figurative).
  • The baker puffed up the dough with yeast.

Related Idioms

• Huff and puff: To breathe loudly and heavily, especially after exertion; to express empty threats or complaints.
  • He huffed and puffed after running up the stairs.
  • The critic huffed and puffed about the new policy, but no one listened.

Adjective

1. gathered for protruding fullness
   • puff sleeves