puff up

English

A cat puffing up in a threat display.

Verb

puff up (third-person singular simple present puffs up, present participle puffing up, simple past and past participle puffed up)

1. (transitive) To inflate with air.

   We puffed up the balloons.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To fluff up, such as an animal raising its fur or feathers to appear larger or conserve body heat.

   Small birds puff up while sleeping to keep warm.

   The angry cat hissed and puffed up its fur.

3. (intransitive) To swell due to injury or illness.

   My hand puffed up where the cat had scratched me.

4. (figurative, intransitive) To become proud. (Often written as puffed up with pride.)

Derived terms

• puffed up

Translations

to inflate with air

• Finnish: täyttää (fi), puhaltaa (fi)
• French: gonfler (fr)
• German: aufblasen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: φυσιόω (phusióō)

• Latin: sufflo
• Russian: надува́ть (ru) impf (naduvátʹ), наду́ть (ru) pf (nadútʹ)
• Spanish: inflar (es)

to become fluffy

• Dutch: pluizen (nl)
• Finnish: pöyhistyä, pörhistyä
• German: plustern (de), aufplustern (de)
• Maori: whakakenakena (refers to feathers of a bird)
• Russian: надува́ться (ru) impf (naduvátʹsja), наду́ться (ru) impf (nadútʹsja); нахо́хливаться (ru) impf (naxóxlivatʹsja), нахо́хлиться (ru) pf (naxóxlitʹsja)
• Turkish: kabarmak (tr)

to swell due to injury

• Dutch: opzwellen (nl)
• Finnish: turvota (fi)
• French: enfler (fr)
• German: anschwellen (de)
• Ottoman Turkish: شیشمك (şişmek), قبارمق (kabarmak)
• Russian: раздува́ться (ru) impf (razduvátʹsja), разду́ться (ru) pf (razdútʹsja), распуха́ть (ru) impf (raspuxátʹ), распу́хнуть (ru) pf (raspúxnutʹ)
• Spanish: hincharse (es)

to become proud

• Finnish: paisua ylpeydestä, röyhistää
• Greek:

  Ancient: τυφόω (tuphóō)

• Russian: надува́ться (ru) impf (naduvátʹsja), наду́ться (ru) pf (nadútʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: sèid
• Spanish: hincharse (es)