From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Puff \Puff\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Puffed} (p[u^]ft); p. pr. &
vb. n. {Puffing}.] [Akin to G. puffen to pop, buffet, puff,
D. poffen to pop, puffen to blow, Sw. puffa to push, to cuff,
Dan. puffe to pop, thump. See {Puff}, n.]
1. To blow in puffs, or with short and sudden whiffs.
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2. To blow, as an expression of scorn; -- with at.
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It is really to defy Heaven to puff at damnation.
--South.
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3. To breathe quick and hard, or with puffs, as after violent
exertion.
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The ass comes back again, puffing and blowing, from
the chase. --L' Estrange.
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4. To swell with air; to be dilated or inflated. --Boyle.
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5. To breathe in a swelling, inflated, or pompous manner;
hence, to assume importance.
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Then came brave Glory puffing by. --Herbert.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Puffing \Puff"ing\,
a. & n. from {Puff}, v. i. & t.
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{Puffing adder}. (Zool.) Same as {Puff adder}
(b), under {Puff}.
{Puffing pig} (Zool.), the common porpoise.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
puffing
n 1: blowing tobacco smoke out into the air; "they smoked up the
room with their ceaseless puffing"
2: an act of forcible exhalation [syn: {puffing}, {huffing},
{snorting}]
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