/ pʊf; NAmE / noun , exclamation
■ noun
(also poof·ter / ˈpʊftə(r); NAmE /) ( BrE , taboo , slang ) an offensive word for a homosexual man
■ exclamation
used when talking about sth disappearing suddenly :
He walked through—and vanished. Poof! Like that.
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WORD ORIGIN
noun mid 19th cent.: perhaps an alteration of the archaic noun puff in the sense braggart .
exclamation early 19th cent.: symbolic.