Meanings
- not comparableBeing or relating to a division of a traditionally male sport that is reserved for females.
I know for a fact there would still be sports because women are competitive as hell. At my high school they brought an end to the annual powderpuff game because of the mounting number of severe injuries.
2009, Mathew Dekinder, Wait Till Next Year: A Die-Hard Fan's Year Without Sports, page 972 more examples
In response to a hypothetical question, the psychiatrist stated that quite probably Miss Lynch's abnormal brainwave pattern and behavioral difficulties were caused by the head injury she received in the powderpuff football game.
1983, Don E. Arnold, Legal considerations in the administration of public school physical education and athletic programsA new field on the 110-acre campus has provided the opportunity for a softball team, and a new sports complex and a student center are planned. Intramurals, with the exception of powderpuff football, suffer.
1987, Edward B. Fiske, Joseph M. Michalak, The best buys in college education - not comparableBeing or relating to a school sports event in which the girls play a traditionally male sport while the boys perform as cheerleaders in female outfits.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna soft spherical object made from fluffy fibers; for applying powder to the skin
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From powder puff, associated with female makeup.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
powderpuff. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/powderpuff
“powderpuff.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/powderpuff. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “powderpuff,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/powderpuff.
Source: powderpuff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.