French word

souffler

Pronunciation

IPA/sufle/

Meaning

  • verbblow

Example

Le vent souffle.

The wind is blowing.

Illustration for souffler (blow)

More examples

Elle m'a soufflé un baiser.

She blew me a kiss.

Core concept

A brief current of air leaves the mouth or passes through the air, moving something, quenching a flame, or conveying words softly.

Common phrases

  • souffler à l'oreille

    whisper in someone's ear

  • souffler un baiser

    blow a kiss

Similar words

éteindre: To turn off or put out a machine, light, or fire.
expirer: To breathe out through the mouth or nose.
respirer: To breathe in and out.
chuchoter: To speak quietly so others cannot easily hear.

Definition in French

Envoyer de l'air avec la bouche pour éteindre une flamme, agiter un objet ou chuchoter une information.

Word origin

The French verb souffler is inherited through Old French soufler from Latin sufflare, a formation containing sub- and flare, 'to blow'.

Usage tips

  • In souffler, ou has the /u/ sound heard in French tout, and the infinitive ending -er sounds like /e/, not English 'er'.

Other meanings

  • blow out ___verb
  • blow on ___verb
  • exhaleverb
  • whisperverb

Opposites

Related words

  • souffleurblowernoun

Word lists with this word