poof
poof Lexical Profile
poof Game Scores & Validity
• interjection
Used to convey the suddenness with which something or someone disappears, appears, or changes, as if by magic or in a puff of smoke.
"The magician waved his wand over the top hat and, poof, the white rabbit vanished."
• noun
A sudden, soft puff or burst of air, smoke, or vapor.
"The old campfire collapsed inward, sending a small poof of gray ash into the night air."
North American A hairstyle or part of a garment that is puffed out to create rounded volume.
"She styled the front of her hair into a neat poof secured with bobby pins."
North American A soft, cushioned footstool or low, backless seat with no legs; a pouf.
"She rested her feet on the knitted poof in the corner of the living room."
• verb
North American To swell or cause to swell outward into a soft, rounded, or voluminous shape (often followed by 'up' or 'out').
"The humid summer air always makes my curls poof out within minutes of stepping outside."
To vanish or disappear suddenly and completely.
"In the video game, defeated monsters simply poof into a cloud of sparkles."
Word Nuance & Usage
In furniture terminology, 'poof' is a common North American variant spelling of 'pouf' (a cushioned footstool or low seat). In British, Australian, and New Zealand English, 'poof' also exists as a highly offensive, derogatory slang term for a gay or effeminate man and should be avoided in that sense.
• Rhymes for poof
Word Origin & Etymology
Dating to the early 19th century, the word is primarily imitative of the sound of a sudden puff of air or smoke, partly influenced by the French noun 'pouf' (meaning a padded ornament or low seat).