puffer
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 →
2) (UK, Australia, NZ) An inhaler, a small device that puffs medicine into your lungs, used for asthma. tree →
3) A puffer jacket: a warm, padded coat with puffy stuffed sections. tree →
4) (old) A small steam boat or train that puffs smoke; a person who puffs. tree →
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 →
- Puffers are poisonous, so never eat one you catch. tree →
- Jack uses his blue puffer when his asthma gets bad. tree →
- Take your puffer on the school trip, just in case. tree →
- My new puffer jacket is so warm. tree →
- The old steam puffer chugged up the Scottish coast. tree →
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, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.