as in pretending
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1
as in fooling
to cause to believe what is untrue
I bluffed the interviewer into believing that I could really speak French and thus would be the perfect person to serve in the newspaper's Paris bureau
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2
as in assuming
to present a false appearance of
the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead
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Recent Examples of bluffing
Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 29 Mar. 2026
And sometimes bluffing goes beyond saving face.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
But some politicians and economists say the billionaires are largely bluffing.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Cue a total lockdown of the hospital as everyone tries to figure out if the guy was bluffing, all while putting out the fires (and tending to the victims) left by the explosion.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
After successfully bluffing his way into the house, Tom fumbles an attempt to hide his reasons for being there, leading Robbie to take him hostage.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
But Zelensky said Wednesday that the Russian leader was bluffing.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
David Lerner, the mind behind MAGLYNX is not bluffing his way through buzzwords or chasing Silicon Valley validation.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Oil prices closed 1% lower as traders seem to believe the president is bluffing and the tariff won't really go into effect.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
That could mean sneaking into hospitals, or bluffing their way into funerals.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 29 Mar. 2026
And sometimes bluffing goes beyond saving face.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
But some politicians and economists say the billionaires are largely bluffing.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Cue a total lockdown of the hospital as everyone tries to figure out if the guy was bluffing, all while putting out the fires (and tending to the victims) left by the explosion.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
After successfully bluffing his way into the house, Tom fumbles an attempt to hide his reasons for being there, leading Robbie to take him hostage.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
But Zelensky said Wednesday that the Russian leader was bluffing.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
David Lerner, the mind behind MAGLYNX is not bluffing his way through buzzwords or chasing Silicon Valley validation.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Oil prices closed 1% lower as traders seem to believe the president is bluffing and the tariff won't really go into effect.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluffing
Adjective
-
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But anyone in the auto industry who didn’t feel like something was going to happen in China five years ago was fooling themselves.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Politicians are fooling themselves about the political power of health-conscious moms.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With a razor-thin majority, the Speaker can afford to lose only two GOP votes on any party-line bill, assuming that all members are present and Democrats are united in opposition.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.—
Alyssa Sparacino,
Glamour,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Their duplicitous conduct during negotiations is countered by the cold honesty of Iranian missiles.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Sailing aboard The Hispaniola, Jim and Bess are caught between the charming, terrifying pirate Long John Silver, and the debonair, duplicitous British agent Aaron Graham.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Deed theft is when a scammer steals someone's home, often by forging documents or tricking someone into signing over a deed.—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
After tricking her way into her dream job, Liza discovers that disguising herself as a millennial and keeping her two lives separate is a job in and of itself.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That means trains are now operating on a full schedule, simulating real service, to prove the system is ready for the public.—
Amanda Starrantino,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Games like Space Engineers and Surviving Mars also do a great job of simulating energy bottlenecks; one of the major challenges of powering a real moon base isn't so much generating enough power as delivering it efficiently and reliably.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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How hypocritical that of me, Amy, and Gretchen, the only one married is me.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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That’s not just awkward; that’s hypocritical.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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