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Glite Dictionary
to let out a huff

to let out a huff

6.8
To breathe out loudly to show you are annoyed
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : suspirar
  • After waiting in line for an hour, Maris let out a huff of frustration.

Examples

  • Connie let out a huff.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Kelsey let out a huff of breath.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Claire let out a huff when she realized she was late for the meeting.

  • Kelsey let out a huff as she struggled to carry the heavy boxes.

Synonyms

to grunt
vsto let out a huff
355 4.2

To make a short low sound to show effort, pain, or dislike

is a breathy noise aimed at expressing frustration rather than effort
to growl
vsto let out a huff
76 2.2

To make a low, deep sound to warn or show anger

uses a single forceful breath to show annoyance rather than a voiced low warning
to snort
vsto let out a huff
52 3.7

To make a sudden harsh sound through the nose to show amusement or anger

uses a forceful breath sound from the mouth to show annoyance
to huff
vsto let out a huff
24 4.6

To breathe out loudly and hard, often from effort or anger

is specifically an audible breath showing frustration or impatience
to puff
vsto let out a huff
19 1.4

To breathe out quickly and loudly

carries clear emotional frustration as an audible forceful breath
to harrumph
vsto let out a huff
  • Archaic
1 9.8

To clear your throat with a short gruff sound to show annoyance or disapproval

expresses annoyance instead through one loud breath rather than throat clearing
to humph
vsto let out a huff
  • Informal
1 8.9

To make a short low sound to show disapproval or doubt

is louder and more breathy, showing clearer impatience or anger

How Forceful

to shout
644 1.0
to snort
52 3.7
to let out a huff
6.8
to sigh
80 1.9

Surface Forms

let out a huff infinitive
letting out a huff present participle
lets out a huff third person singular
let out a huffed past
let out a huffed past participle

Morphology

let + out + a + huff

The meaning is directly compositional: 'let out' = emit/release and 'huff' = a forceful breath of annoyance, so the phrase simply means to emit an annoyed breath. This follows a common English pattern (let out + noun) and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Let out a huff comes from the image of someone letting out a short, sharp breath, a noisy huff, when they are annoyed. So it means 'to audibly show frustration or impatience'.