What does "huff" mean?
A heavy breath; a grunt or sigh.
Huff
/hʌf/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A heavy breath; a grunt or sigh.
- Grammar: huff is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: add to, aggrandize, aggravate, amplify.
- Useful contrasts: calm air, calmness, composure.
- Usage evidence: Mary made an indignant noise and turned away from Tom in a huff.
How to use "huff"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "huff" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "huff" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "huff" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "huff" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "huff" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "add to" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "huff", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A heavy breath; a grunt or sigh.
"With a huff, he lifted the box onto the back of the truck."
- 2 a state of irritation or annoyance wordnet
- 3 A condition of anger, annoyance, disgust, etc. figuratively
"in a huff"
- 4 One swelled with a false sense of importance or value; a boaster. obsolete
"Lewd, shallow-brained huffs make atheism and contempt of religion the sole badge [...] of wit."
- 5 The act of removing an opponent's piece as a forfeit for deliberately not taking a piece (often signalled by blowing on it).
Verb
- 1 To breathe heavily. intransitive
"The run left him huffing and puffing."
- 2 blow hard and loudly wordnet
- 3 To say in a huffy manner. intransitive
- 4 inhale recreational drugs wordnet
- 5 To enlarge; to swell up. intransitive
"Bread huffs."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 To bluster or swell with anger, arrogance, or pride; to storm; to take offense. intransitive
"This senseless arrogant conceit of theirs made them huff at the doctrine of repentance."
- 7 To treat with arrogance and insolence; to chide or rebuke rudely; to bully, to hector. transitive
"[…] I was ſent for by the marſhall, huffed and hectored ſtrangely, thretned, &c., in fine, muſte give bonds to the good behaviour; I refuſed, […]"
- 8 To vex; to offend. archaic, transitive
"Signior Riccabocca had become very intimate, as we have seen, at the Parsonage. But not so at the Hall. For though the Squire was inclined to be very friendly to all his neighbours he was, like most country gentlemen, rather easily huffed."
- 9 To inhale psychoactive inhalants. transitive
- 10 To remove an opponent's piece as a forfeit for deliberately not taking a piece (often signalled by blowing on it). transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Spencer County, Indiana, named after Aquilia Huff. countable, uncountable
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Edmonson County, Kentucky, named for the Huff family. countable, uncountable
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Franklin County, Missouri, probably named after settler Andrew Huff. countable, uncountable
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Morton County, North Dakota, near the Huff Archeological Site. countable, uncountable
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A ghost town in Archer County, Texas, named after Charles C. Huff. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Mary made an indignant noise and turned away from Tom in a huff."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "huff"?
Common synonyms include: add to, aggrandize, aggravate, amplify, anger, angered.
How do you use "huff" in a sentence?
Mary made an indignant noise and turned away from Tom in a huff.
How do you pronounce "huff"?
Pronounced /hʌf/.
Etymology
Probably an altered spelling of earlier *hough, represented by Scots hech (“to breathe hard, pant”). Compare also German hauchen (“to breathe”).