---
title: puff — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «puff» in the school dictionary: A short burst of air, smoke, wind or steam. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# puff

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** example, puff, I, wolf, you, bird · **What happens:** burst, breathe, run, blow out, swell up, make · **To what, where:** air, cheeks, food, chimney, smoke, hill

<!-- .vabout -->
«puff» in the school dictionary: its 5 meanings for a pupil and its 8 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [puff in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/puff.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A short burst of air, smoke, wind or steam.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:m1:1
# text = A short burst of air, smoke, wind or steam.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	burst	burst	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	steam	steam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **burst** |  |  | air |  |  |  |  | nom burst «act transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: verb — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To breathe quickly and hard, for example after running.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:m2:1
# text = To breathe quickly and hard, for example after running.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	breathe	breathe	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	quickly	quickly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	example	example	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
9	after	after	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
10	running	run	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **breathe** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | for example; quickly *property* | vn breathe-40.1.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **run** | gerund | example *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: verb — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To blow out air or smoke in small bursts.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:m3:1
# text = To blow out air or smoke in small bursts.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	blow	blow	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	out	out	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	bursts	burst	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **blow out** | to-infinitive |  | air or smoke |  |  |  | in small bursts | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP PP.recipient PP.theme»: agent=Agent air=Patient in burst=Topic |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: verb — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To swell up or make bigger: «puff out your cheeks».

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:m4:1
# text = To swell up or make bigger: «puff out your cheeks».
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	swell	swell	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
6	bigger	big	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	puff	puff	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	out	out	ADP	RP	_	9	compound:prt	_	_
11	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	cheeks	cheek	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swell up** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |
| 2 | **make** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | big *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 3 | **puff out** *in a quote* | infinitive |  | your cheeks |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location cheek=Source |

## Meaning 5 {#m5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A light pastry or food filled with air: «cream puff».

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:m5:1
# text = A light pastry or food filled with air: «cream puff».
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	light	light	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	pastry	pastry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
6	filled	fill	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	12	punct	_	_
10	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	cream	cream	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	puff	puff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fill** | participle |  | food *not said here* |  |  |  | with air | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent with air=Instrument |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A puff of smoke came from the chimney.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:x1:1
# text = A puff of smoke came from the chimney.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	puff	puff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	chimney	chimney	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | past | a puff of smoke |  |  | the chimney |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from chimney=Initial\_Location |
| 2 | **puff** |  |  | smoke |  |  |  |  | nom puff «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I was puffing after running up the hill.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:x2:1
# text = I was puffing after running up the hill.
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	puffing	puff	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	after	after	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	running	run	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
6	up	up	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	hill	hill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **puff** | past · progressive | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Source |
| 2 | **run up** | gerund | I *not said here* | the hill |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme hill=Trajectory |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The wolf huffed and puffed.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:x3:1
# text = The wolf huffed and puffed.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wolf	wolf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	huffed	huff	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	puffed	puff	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **huff** | participle | the wolf |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **puff** | participle | the wolf *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Source |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Puff out your cheeks like a fish.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:x4:1
# text = Puff out your cheeks like a fish.
1	Puff	puff	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	out	out	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	_
3	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	cheeks	cheek	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
5	like	like	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **puff out** | imperative | you *not said here* | your cheeks |  |  |  | like a fish | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location cheek=Source |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The bird puffed up its feathers to keep warm.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:x5:1
# text = The bird puffed up its feathers to keep warm.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	puffed	puff	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	feathers	feather	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	keep	keep	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
9	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **puff up** | participle | the bird | bird's feathers |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location feather=Source |
| 2 | **keep** | to-infinitive | the bird *not said here* |  |  |  |  | warm *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She took a puff of her asthma inhaler.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:x6:1
# text = She took a puff of her asthma inhaler.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	took	take	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	puff	puff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
7	asthma	asthma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	inhaler	inhaler	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **take** | past | She | a puff of her asthma inhaler |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent puff=Theme |
| 2 | **puff** |  |  | her asthma inhaler |  |  |  |  | nom puff «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The magician vanished in a puff of smoke.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:x7:1
# text = The magician vanished in a puff of smoke.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	magician	magician	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	vanished	vanish	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	puff	puff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **vanish** | past | the magician |  |  | a puff of smoke |  |  | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **puff** |  |  | smoke |  |  |  |  | nom puff «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Frog puffed up still more.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:puff:x8:1
# text = The Frog puffed up still more.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Frog	Frog	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	puffed	puff	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	still	still	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **puff up** | past | the Frog | more |  |  |  |  | vn substance\_emission-43.4-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location more=Source |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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