kapoof

K5A1P3O1O1F4

interjection

The sound of something disappearing, or going up in smoke.

“Not long after childhood his acting career suddenly went kapoof.”

OriginEnglish poof ← German kaputt ← French capot →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

interjection
  1. informalThe sound of something disappearing, or going up in smoke.

    Not long after childhood his acting career suddenly went kapoof.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*káput
  4. Proto-Italic*kaput
  5. Latincaput
  6. Latincapitulum
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  9. Latincapitulāre?
  10. Late Latincappa
  11. Old Frenchcape
  12. Old Frenchcapote
  13. Frenchcapot
  14. Germankaputt
  15. Englishkaput
  16. Englishpoof
  17. Englishkapoof

Blend of kaput + poof. Perhaps influenced by the ka- prefix (which is a variant of ker-).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

kapoof. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kapoof

MLA

“kapoof.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kapoof. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kapoof,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kapoof.

Source: kapoof on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.