poof
English
Alternative forms
- pouf
Etymology 1
Onomatopoeic. See also puff.
Pronunciation
- enPR: po͝of, IPA(key): /pʊf/
- (US)
- IPA(key): /puːf/, [puːɸ]
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -ʊf, -uːf
- Homophones: pouf, pouffe (with certain dialects and/or accents)
Interjection
poof
- Onomatopoeia indicating a small explosion with a cloud of smoke; as caused by a deflating object, or a magical disappearance.
- Poof, he was gone.
- 1969, Beard & Kennedy, Bored of the Rings, page 87:
- Even now, in the spring, the river softly cries, 'Menthol, Menthol, you are one wazoo. One day I'm the elf next door and the poof I'm a river.'
- 1995, Christopher McQuarrie, The Usual Suspects, spoken by Verbal (Kevin Spacey):
- The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that, poof. He's gone.
Derived terms
- foofy
- poofy
Translations
deflating object or a magical disappearance
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Verb
poof (third-person singular simple present poofs, present participle poofing, simple past and past participle poofed)
- To vanish or disappear.
- 2019, Justin Blackburn, The Bisexual Christian Suburban Failure Enlightening Bipolar Blues, page 22:
- He's a figment of your subconscious Eric, not mine, so I tapped into Ultimate Reality and poofed him out.
- He poofed into thin air.
-
- (intransitive) To break wind; to fart.
Translations
to vanish
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to fart
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Noun
poof (plural poofs)
- The product of flatulence, or the sound of breaking wind.
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
poof (plural poofs or (less common) pooves)
- (UK, Australia, New Zealand, derogatory, colloquial) A male homosexual, especially one who is effeminate.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:male homosexual
- 2015, Irvine Welsh, A Decent Ride, Random House, →ISBN, page 21:
- He recalls how everybody got called a ‘poof’ at Forrester High School in the seventies. Back then, only ‘wanker’ possibly rivalled it as the most common term of abuse. But The Poof was the Poof.
Derived terms
- poofter
Translations
A male homosexual.
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The product of flatulence.
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