poof

4 9.9

An insulting word for a gay man often used in Britain

noun
/puːf/

Slur

: maricón

Come on, get fucking hard, you silly wee poof!
crazy old poof
big poof

So we we got to know Amber, are you pro poof?

Examples

yeah, really, it's all your fault for being such a poof.

In Bruges (2008)
"Fifty-two years of marriage, and poof, he's gone."

Fiction book (2000)
He often faced discrimination because people called him a poof for being himself.
The comedian made a controversial joke that offended many by using the term poof.
In that movie, the character was bullied at school and was called a poof by his classmates.

Idioms

with a poof

Informal

1 8.9

Suddenly and completely as if by magic

Surface Forms

poof singular

poofs plural

Etymology

Poof is an offensive British slang word for a gay man. It likely began from a playful sound like pouf or the English word puff, giving the image of a quick 'puff' or something soft, and people used that idea to make fun of men seen as not very manly, which is why the word became an insult.