puffer

noun

puff·​er ˈpə-fər 

plural puffers

1

: any of a family (Tetraodontidae) of chiefly tropical scaleless marine bony fishes which can distend themselves to a globular form and most of which are highly poisonous : puffer fish

2

: a garment (such as a jacket) made of heavy quilted material

Yet this flood of fashion has a downside. … Can you layer a puffer over a suit without looking, well, portly?

—Jacob Gallagher

—often used before another noun

Roche, a slightly unkempt 54-year-old, wore black ski pants, a puffer jacket and sunglasses.

—Irina Aleksander

The new men's look … incorporates sporty items such as hoodies, puffer vests or jackets, camouflage patterns, sneakers, polo shirts and bomber jackets.

—Ray A. Smith

Once destined only for … occasions where highly practical (but often ugly) outerwear is required, the puffer coat has now infiltrated the world of high fashion.

—Otago (New Zealand) Daily Times (online)

These makers seem to be in alignment; the puffer scarf is the practical and stylish answer to frigid weather.

—Rachel Besser

3

: someone or something that puffs

Surrounded by two-pack-a-day cigarette puffers, he was a cigar smoker.

—Russell Baker

When it's wet or humid, lubricate sticky locks with a graphite puffer or talcum.

—Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming

Examples of puffer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mateo, who is sixty-seven and wore a puffer vest over a black shirt and jeans, is a systems thinker. —H. C. Wilentz, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025

In between shots, Damon threw on a black puffer jacket to keep warm, enjoying some downtime as the crew prepped for the next scene. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025

If Anwar al-Awlaki, a man with ties to terrorists killed in a drone strike, was once a good enough subject for a huge fight over due process, one imagines a gay makeup artist in a puffer vest would do just fine for those purposes this time. —Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 25 Mar. 2025

Goodbye, heavy-duty puffer coats—and hello sleek leather jackets and lightweight trenches! —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing puffer

• puffer fish

Rhymes for puffer

• buffer
• duffer
• kafir
• rougher
• suffer
• tougher

Kids Definition

puffer

noun

puff·​er ˈpəf-ər 

1

: one that puffs

2

: puffer fish

Medical Definition

puffer

noun

puff·​er ˈpəf-ər 

: puffer fish