puffing (up)

present participle of puff (up)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffing (up)
Verb
  • Private equity has been rolling up local HVAC, plumbing and electrical businesses, stitching together fragmented operators into regional platforms.
    Renana Ashkenazi, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Sometimes, that means rolling up her sleeves with the best of them.
    Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • Curry Barker’s world and the way YouTubers are blowing up the box office.
    Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Ripley was honored for a heroic effort to halt the advance of North Vietnamese forces by blowing up a crucial bridge in 1972.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 June 2026
Verb
  • The former second-round pick is suddenly one of the Lakers’ primary summer league players and hopes to use the experience as an important stepping stone, building up his game while also establishing a leadership voice.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • The Nebius data center currently under construction will start at 200 megawatts and will increase to at least 800 megawatts, with the potential of building up to 1200 megawatts over several years.
    Ilana Arougheti June 26, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Getty Images Major air-conditioning makers such as Japan’s Daikin are also trimming costs by increasing the use of aluminum.
    Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Thanks to the design, all three elements are evenly separated upon exiting the barrel, improving firing accuracy and substantially increasing the probability of hitting small targets, reported TASS.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026
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Cite this Entry

“Puffing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffing%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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