huff

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

huff, v. t. [Cf. OE. hoove to puff up, blow; prob. of imitative origin.].

•  To swell; to enlarge; to puff up; as, huffed up with air.  Grew.  [1913 Webster]
•  To treat with insolence and arrogance; to chide or rebuke with insolence; to hector; to bully.  [1913 Webster]

  "You must not presume to huff us."  [1913 Webster]
•  To remove from the board (the piece which could have captured an opposing piece). See Huff, v. i., 3.  [1913 Webster]

huff, v. i. 

•  To enlarge; to swell up; as, bread huffs.  [1913 Webster]
•  To bluster or swell with anger, pride, or arrogance; to storm; to take offense.  [1913 Webster]

  "This senseless arrogant conceit of theirs made them huff at the doctrine of repentance."  [1913 Webster]
•  To remove from the board a man which could have captured a piece but has not done so; -- so called because it was the habit to blow upon the piece.  [1913 Webster]

huff, n. 

•  A swell of sudden anger or arrogance; a fit of disappointment and petulance or anger; a rage.  W. Irving.  [1913 Webster]
•  A boaster; one swelled with a false opinion of his own value or importance.  [1913 Webster]

  "Lewd, shallow-brained huffs make atheism and contempt of religion the sole badge . . . of wit."  [1913 Webster]

To take huff, to take offence. Cowper.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

huff, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. give out loud puffs of air, steam, etc.
2 intr. bluster loudly or threateningly (huffing and puffing).
3 intr. & tr. take or cause to take offence.
4 tr. Draughts remove (an opponent's man that could have made a capture) from the board as a forfeit (orig. after blowing on the piece).
--n. a fit of petty annoyance.

Idiom

in a huff annoyed and offended.

Derivative

huffish adj.

Etymology

imit. of the sound of blowing

THESAURUS

huff

add to, aggrandize, aggravate, amplify, angered, annoy, annoyed, arouse, augment, blast, bloat, blow, blow a hurricane, blow great guns, blow over, blow up, bludgeon, bluster, bluster out of, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, breeze, breeze up, brew, bristle, broaden, browbeat, build, build up, bulk, bulk out, bulldoze, bully, chafe, come up, cough, cow, crescendo, demoralize, develop, dilate, distend, dragoon, dudgeon, embitter, enlarge, exasperate, exasperated, exhale, exhaust, expand, expel, expire, extend, ferment, freshen, fret, fume, gasp, gather, grate, gulp, hack, harass, heave, hector, hiccup, high dudgeon, hike, hike up, in a huff, in a pet, incense, increase, inflame, inflate, inhale, inspire, intimidate, irritate, irritated, magnify, miff, nettle, pant, peeve, peeved, pet, petulant, pipe up, pique, piqued, provoke, provoked, puff, puff up, pump, pump up, put out, rage, raise, rankle, rarefy, resentment, respire, rile, roil, ruffle, set in, set up, sigh, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snore, snort, snuff, snuffle, squall, stew, stir the blood, stir up, storm, stretch, sufflate, swell, systematically terrorize, terrorize, testy, threaten, tiff, umbrage, up, vex, vexed, waft, wheeze, whiff, whiffle, widen, work up

ROGET THESAURUS

huff

Insolence

VB be insolent, bluster, vapor, swagger, swell, give oneself airs, snap one's fingers, kick up a dust, swear, rap out oaths, roister, arrogate, assume, presume, make bold, make free, take a liberty, give an inch and take an ell, domineer, bully, dictate, hector, lord it over, traiter de haut en bas, regarder de haut en bas, exact, snub, huff, beard, fly in the face of, put to the blush, bear down, beat down, browbeat, intimidate, trample down, tread down, trample under foot, dragoon, ride roughshod over, out face, outlook, outstare, outbrazen, outbrave, stare out of countenance, brazen out, lay down the law, teach one's grandmother to suck eggs, assume a lofty bearing, talk big, look big, put on big looks, act the grand seigneur, mount the high horse, ride the high horse, toss the head, carry, with a high hand, tempt Providence, want snuffing.

Resentment

N resentment, displeasure, animosity, anger, wrath, indignation, exasperation, bitter resentment, wrathful indignation, pique, umbrage, huff, miff, soreness, dudgeon, acerbity, virulence, bitterness, acrimony, asperity, spleen, gall, heart-burning, heart-swelling, rankling, ill humor, bad humor, ill temper, bad temper, irascibility, ill blood, revenge, excitement, irritation, warmth, bile, choler, ire, fume, pucker, dander, ferment, ebullition, towering passion, acharnement, angry mood, taking, pet, tiff, passion, fit, tantrums, burst, explosion, paroxysm, storm, rage, fury, desperation, violence, fire and fury, vials of wrath, gnashing of teeth, hot blood, high words, scowl, sulks, affront, provocation, offense, indignity, grudge, crow to pluck, bone to pick, sore subject, casus belli, ill turn, outrage, Furies, Eumenides, buffet, slap in the face, box on the ear, rap on the knuckles, angry, wrath, irate, ireful, wrathful, cross, Achillean, sulky, bitter, virulent, acrimonious &c (discourteous), violent, warm, burning, boiling, boiling over, fuming, raging, foaming, foaming at the mouth, convulsed with rage, offended, waxy, acharne, wrought, worked up, indignant, hurt, sore, set against, fierce, wild, rageful, furious, mad with rage, fiery, infuriate, rabid, savage, relentless, flushed with anger, flushed with rage, in a huff, in a stew, in a fume, in a pucker, in a passion, in a rage, in a fury, in a taking, in a way, on one's high ropes, up in arms, in high dudgeon, angrily, in the height of passion, in the heat of passion, in the heat of the moment, Int, tantaene animis coelestibus irae!, marry come up!, zounds!, 'sdeath!, one's blood being up, one's back being up, one's monkey being up, fervens difficili bile jecur, the gorge rising, eyes flashing fire, the blood rising, the blood boiling, haeret lateri lethalis arundo, beware the fury of a patient man, furor arma ministrat, ira furor brevis est, quem Jupiter vult perdere dementat prius, What, drunk with choler?.

VB resent, take amiss, take ill, take to heart, take offense, take umbrage, take huff, take exception, take in ill part, take in bad part, take in dudgeon, ne pas entendre raillerie, breathe revenge, cut up rough, fly into a rage, fall into a rage, get into a rage, fly into a passion, bridle up, bristle up, froth up, fire up, flare up, open the vials of one's wrath, pour out the vials of one's wrath, pout, knit the brow, frown, scowl, lower, snarl, growl, gnarl, gnash, snap, redden, color, look black, look black as thunder, look daggers, bite one's thumb, show one's teeth, grind one's teeth, champ the bit, champ at the bit, chafe, mantle, fume, kindle, fly out, take fire, boil, boil over, boil with indignation, boil with rage, rage, storm, foam, vent one's rage, vent one's spleen, lose one's temper, stand on one's hind legs, stamp the foot, stamp with rage, quiver with rage, swell with rage, foam with rage, burst with anger, raise Cain, have a fling at, bear malice, cause anger, raise anger, affront, offend, give offense, give umbrage, anger, hurt the feelings, insult, discompose, fret, ruffle, nettle, huff, pique, excite, irritate, stir the blood, stir up bile, sting, sting to the quick, rile, provoke, chafe, wound, incense, inflame, enrage, aggravate, add fuel to the flame, fan into a flame, widen the breach, envenom, embitter, exasperate, infuriate, kindle wrath, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, hit on the raw, rub on the raw, sting on the raw, strike on the raw, put out of countenance, put out of humor, put one's monkey up, put one's back up, raise one's gorge, raise one's dander, raise one's choler, work up into a passion, make one's blood boil, make the ears tingle, throw, into a ferment, madden, drive one mad, lash into fury, lash into madness, fool to the top of one's bent, set by the ears, bring a hornet's nest about one's ears.

Irascibility

N irascibility, irascibleness, temper, crossness, susceptibility, procacity, petulance, irritability, tartness, acerbity, protervity, pugnacity, excitability, bad temper, fiery temper, crooked temper, irritable, temper, genus irritabile, hot blood, ill humor, asperity, churlishness, huff, a word and a blow, Sir Fretful Plagiary, brabbler, Tartar, shrew, vixen, virago, termagant, dragon, scold, Xantippe, porcupine, spitfire, fire eater, fury, irascible, bad-tempered, ill-tempered, irritable, susceptible, excitable, thin-skinned, fretful, fidgety, on the fret, hasty, overhasty, quick, warm, hot, testy, touchy, techy, tetchy, like touchwood, like tinder, huffy, pettish, petulant, waspish, snappish, peppery, fiery, passionate, choleric, shrewish, sudden and quick in quarrel, querulous, captious, moodish, quarrelsome, contentious, disputatious, pugnacious, cantankerous, exceptious, restiff, churlish, cross, cross as crabs, cross as two sticks, cross as a cat, cross as a dog, cross as the tongs, fractious, peevish, acari=atre, in a bad temper, sulky, angry, resentful, resentive, vindictive, Int, pish!, a vieux comptes nouvelles disputes, quamvis tegatur proditur vultu furor, vino tortus et ira.

Sullenness

N sullenness, morosity, spleen, churlishness, irascibility, moodiness, perversity, obstinacy, torvity, spinosity, crabbedness, ill temper, bad temper, ill humor, bad humor, sulks, dudgeon, mumps, dumps, doldrums, fit of the sulks, bouderie, black looks, scowl, grouch, huff, sullen, sulky, ill-tempered, ill-humored, ill-affected, ill- disposed, grouty, in an ill temper, in a bad temper, in a shocking temper, in an ill humor, in a bad humor, in a shocking humor, out of temper, out of humor, knaggy, torvous, crusty, crabbed, sour, sour as a crab, surly, moody, spleenish, spleenly, splenetic, cankered, cross, crossgrained, perverse, wayward, humorsome, restiff, restive, cantankerous, intractable, exceptious, sinistrous, deaf to reason, unaccommodating, rusty, froward, cussed, dogged, grumpy, glum, grim, grum, morose, frumpish, in the sulks, out of sorts, scowling, glowering, growling, grouchy, peevish.