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Glite Dictionary
🚂 A puffing sound 😠 Very, really
chuffing

chuffing

1 8.3
A short, sharp puffing sound made by a steam engine or machine
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃʌfɪŋ/
translation icon : sonido de chuf
  • She waved to the man, who pulled up his chuffing team and leaned down, sweeping off his battered felt hat as if to hear her better.
  • chuffing engine
  • chuffing noise

Examples

  • The sound of the old steam engine was characterized by its rhythmic chuffing as it made its way down the tracks.

  • The last word had been coughed out, and immediately Rusty's breathing changed to a shallow chuffing.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • "I guess it must not be so bad then," she said, and the snorting and chuffing rose a notch and then fell off abruptly.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • We could hear the chuffing of the train in the distance, signaling its approach to the station.

  • The chuffing noise from the machinery indicated that it was working hard to complete the task.

Synonyms

choo
vschuffing
  • Baby Talk
43 9.9

A short sound that copies a train, often used by children

is an actual mechanical puffing sound, not a playful imitation
chug
vschuffing
10 6.4

A steady, dull sound made by a running engine

is brief and sharp, not a continuous heavy rhythmic engine sound
chuff of the exhaust
vschuffing
9.8

A short, low sound made by an engine when the exhaust pushes out air

is sharper in sound and lacks the muffled steady rhythm
whuff
vschuffing
9.5

A quiet blowing sound like a small puff

is louder and sharper, produced by engines rather than gentle air movement
whuffle
vschuffing
9.7

A soft snuffling sound made when an animal or person breathes quietly

is a mechanical short sharp puff and not a gentle breathing snuffle

How Loud

blast
27 2.7
whoosh
20 4.2
chuffing
1 8.3
puff
24 1.5
breath
98 1.0

Surface Forms

chuffing singular
chuffings plural

Morphology

chuffing = chuff (transparent) = chuff + ing

The noun refers directly to the sound produced by 'to chuff' and is a regular deverbal nominalization.

Etymology

Chuffing as a noun comes from the sound word chuff, which means 'a short puff', like the noise of a steam engine. So chuffing describes the quick 'puffing' sound you hear from trains and other machines.