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# puffer

«puffer» in Mova's school dictionary: **A pufferfish: a fish that can blow itself up into a ball…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a puffer, puffers)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A pufferfish: a fish that can blow itself up into a ball, often covered in spikes, to scare away enemies; many are poisonous to eat. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#m1)

2) (UK, Australia, NZ) An inhaler, a small device that puffs medicine into your lungs, used for asthma. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#m2)

3) A puffer jacket: a warm, padded coat with puffy stuffed sections. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#m3)

4) (old) A small steam boat or train that puffs smoke; a person who puffs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons pufferfish show animal defences; in health and safety a «puffer» means an asthma inhaler, which pupils with asthma must have at school. In everyday life a puffer jacket keeps you warm in winter. Phrases: «puffer fish», «blue puffer», «puffer jacket».

### examples

- The puffer blew itself up into a spiky ball. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#x1)
- Puffers are poisonous, so never eat one you catch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#x2)
- Jack uses his blue puffer when his asthma gets bad. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#x3)
- Take your puffer on the school trip, just in case. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#x4)
- My new puffer jacket is so warm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#x5)
- The old steam puffer chugged up the Scottish coast. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/#x6)

### note

Countable: puffer, puffers. «Pufferfish» is often one word. In the USA people say «inhaler» more than «puffer». Safety: a reliever puffer (often blue) is for asthma attacks; tell a teacher at once if a friend cannot breathe properly.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «puffer» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puffer/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.