Puff

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
puff/pʌf/

▶noun

• 1 a short burst of breath or wind.

  ■ a small quantity of vapour or smoke emitted in one blast.

  ■ an act of drawing quickly on a pipe, cigarette, or cigar.

  ■ Brit. informal breath.

• 2 a light pastry case containing a sweet or savoury filling.

• 3 informal a complimentary review of a book, play, etc.

  ■ Brit. an advertisement.

• 4 a gathered mass of material in a dress or other garment.

• 5 a rolled protuberant mass of hair.

• 6 N. Amer. an eiderdown.

▶verb

• 1 breathe in repeated short gasps.

  ■ move with short, noisy breaths or bursts of air or steam.

  ■ blow (dust, smoke, etc.) with quick breaths or blasts.

  ■ smoke a pipe, cigarette, or cigar.

• 2 (puff out/up or puff something out/up) become swollen or cause something to swell.

  ■ cause to become conceited.

• 3 informal advertise with exaggerated or false praise.

– phrases
in all one's puff Brit. informal in one's whole life.
puff and blow breathe in gasps during or after exertion.

– derivatives
puffer noun.

– origin ME: imitative of the sound of a breath, perh. from OE pyf (n.), pyffan (v.).