puffing (up)

present participle of puff (up)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffing (up)
Verb
  • Love Island was heavily represented at the event, with Rob Rausch and Caleb McDaniel (rolling up in a trio with Josh Richards), JaNa Craig, and Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi all in attendance.
    — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Tired of all of those hot, humid storms rolling up from the tropics and making October in Los Angeles feel like August in Miami?
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Beyond pressuring quarterbacks and blowing up run plays behind the line of scrimmage, Harris has also forced three fumbles on the season.
    — Steven Johnson October 27, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
  • You’ve been clocked in on TikTok from the second the song started blowing up again.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • China is building up its military and AI capabilities despite limited access to advanced computer chips.
    — Josh Boak, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Boone said the final few steps for Judge’s return include building up his workload because he has been sidelined for over three months with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But the company’s stock has gone nowhere over the past two years, as Instacart struggled to find new paths to growth while facing increasing competition from Amazon and Walmart’s grocery-delivery offerings.
    — Rob Wile, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
  • For a while, the music hangs there, pieces echoing each other with increasing intensity.
    — Vanessa Ague, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2026
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.

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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 31 Oct. 2026.

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