huff

English

Etymology

Probably an altered spelling of earlier *hough, represented by Scots hech (“to breathe hard, pant”). Compare also German hauchen (“to breathe”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌf

Noun

huff (plural huffs)

1. A heavy breath; a grunt or sigh.

   With a huff, he lifted the box onto the back of the truck.

2. An expression of anger, annoyance, disgust, etc.

   Freyja left in a huff.

3. (obsolete) A boaster; one swelled with a false sense of value or importance.

   Lewd, shallow-brained huffs make atheism and contempt of religion the sole badge […] of wit. — South.

Verb

huff (third-person singular simple present huffs, present participle huffing, simple past and past participle huffed)

1. To breathe heavily.

   The run left him huffing and puffing.

2. To inhale psychoactive inhalants
3. To say in a huffy manner
4. (draughts) To remove an opponent's piece as a forfeit for deliberately not taking a piece (often signalled by blowing on it)

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Norwegian

Etymology

Onomatopoeia

Interjection

huff

1. expression of minor revulsion, minor horror

   uff huff, så mye mas!

   huff a meg!

Synonyms

• uff

Derived terms

• huffe
• huffing

Related terms

• isj
• æsj

Noun

huff n

1. An instance of uttering huff.

Inflection

    Inflection of huff

	indefinite singular	definite singular	indefinite plural	definite plural
Bokmål n	huff	huffet	huff	huffa/huffene
Nynorsk n	huff	huffet	huff	huffa [huffi]

References

• “huff” in The Bokmål Dictionary / The Nynorsk Dictionary – Dokumentasjonsprosjektet.
• “huff” in The Ordnett Dictionary