huff and puff

idiom

1
: to breathe in a loud and heavy way because of physical effort
He was huffing and puffing when he got to the top of the stairs.
2
: to show one is annoyed or angry
She'll huff and puff for a while, but she'll calm down later.

Examples of huff and puff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An astonished Lara asks them to move to the crew mess, which makes Wihan huff and puff in irritation. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025 The defeat on Saturday had some of the hallmarks of those performances — all the early huff and puff, with a chronic lack of end product — only with more downsides. Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 18 Aug. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Huff and puff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/huff%20and%20puff. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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