1
a
: having a broad flattened front
a ship with bluff bows
b
: rising steeply with a broad flat or rounded front
the bluff banks of the river
2
: good-naturedly frank and outspoken
a bluff, easygoing fellow
bluffly
adverb
bluffness
noun
bluffed; bluffing; bluffs
1
2
card games
: to deceive (an opponent) by a bold bet on an inferior hand
was bluffed out of a winning hand
: to bluff someone : act deceptively
You can tell when he is bluffing.
bluffer
noun
1
a
: a false threat or claim intended to deter or deceive someone : an act or instance of bluffing (see bluff entry 3)
Having … nothing to support his pretensions he decided to put up a bluff.—
Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood AndersonHis boss called his bluff.
b
: the practice of bluffing
The agreement had been reached, after weeks of bluff and haggle …—Time
Time2
: one who bluffs
Synonyms
Adjective
Noun (1)
Verb
Examples of bluff in a Sentence
Adjective
he's a bluff but good-hearted teacher
Verb
She says someone else has made her a higher offer, but I think she's bluffing.
Don't listen to his threats—he's just bluffing you.
I bluffed my way through the interview.
Recent Examples on the WebHeidi Blake, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Though the Explorer majors much more on practicality, somehow Ford has managed to turn a fairly bluff front-end styling and generally boxy silhouette familiar to properly sensible family SUV into an attractive design.
—WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023
Patrick’s Point, a bluff-top park 30 miles north of Eureka overlooking Agate Beach and the Pacific Ocean, will now be known as Sue-meg State Park.
—Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Oct. 2021
The current record still belongs to a bluff-top compound with two homes and 3.5 acres that traded hands in 2017 in an off-market deal for $55 million.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2020
Chloe Berger, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
Biden was lauded for his response; European leaders had wrongly predicted that Vladimir Putin was bluffing, but the Administration had released accurate intelligence in advance, which fortified Biden’s bid to rally NATO allies.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
At that moment, an invasion seemed inevitable, but European officials were still insisting, despite the satellite evidence of massing troops, that Mr. Putin was bluffing.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
Some, such as the Russian journalist and critic Yulia Latynina, argued that Putin was bluffing and would most likely back down at the first sign of real conflict.
—Christopher Bort, Foreign Affairs, 10 Mar. 2022
Some Trump supporters who are pro-NATO have argued that Mr. Trump is bluffing.
—Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 9 Dec. 2023
Many smart and experienced experts were convinced Putin was bluffing.
—Melinda Haring, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2022
Huber Research Partners analyst Douglas M. Arthur speculated in a report that Charter might be bluffing about ditching the TV business.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
After all that bluffing about U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant)being the only character to return in the eight-episode limited series reboot of FX's Justified, Boyd Crowder is back!
—Terri Robertson, Country Living, 30 Aug. 2023
Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
Set on a high bluff overlooking the Alabama River, the park presents a painstaking narrative history of slavery, using first-person recollections, historical artifacts, and more than fifty sculptures.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Both slides are in a seven-mile stretch of tracks that runs along the beach below steep bluffs from Dana Point to the San Diego County line.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay Resting on a breathtaking coastal bluff roughly 20 miles from San Francisco International Airport, Five-Star The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay offers two championship courses: the Ocean Course and Old Course.
—Katie Sweeney, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Richter drove the truck up to the edge of the bluff.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2024
Framed by 30-foot bluffs along the shore, it's littered with driftwood from live oak and cedar trees.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2024
The Del Mar fatality is the 10th person to die after being hit by a train in San Diego County so far this year
DEL MAR —
A male pedestrian was killed when he was struck by a train on the North County Transit District tracks along the bluffs in Del Mar on Sunday evening, officials said.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2024
The home, in a gated community, is perched on a windy bluff not far from restaurants, bars, a casino — places of revelry.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
One day in 2010, an e-mail from Steve Wentzel, the Zimbabwean tycoon, arrived in the in-box of one of South Pole’s founders—a tall, bluff German man named Christian Dannecker.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Though the Explorer majors much more on practicality, somehow Ford has managed to turn a fairly bluff front-end styling and generally boxy silhouette familiar to properly sensible family SUV into an attractive design.
—WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023
Patrick’s Point, a bluff-top park 30 miles north of Eureka overlooking Agate Beach and the Pacific Ocean, will now be known as Sue-meg State Park.
—Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Oct. 2021
The current record still belongs to a bluff-top compound with two homes and 3.5 acres that traded hands in 2017 in an off-market deal for $55 million.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2020
Verb
So managers might be bluffing or simply weighing their options right now.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
Biden was lauded for his response; European leaders had wrongly predicted that Vladimir Putin was bluffing, but the Administration had released accurate intelligence in advance, which fortified Biden’s bid to rally NATO allies.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
At that moment, an invasion seemed inevitable, but European officials were still insisting, despite the satellite evidence of massing troops, that Mr. Putin was bluffing.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
Some, such as the Russian journalist and critic Yulia Latynina, argued that Putin was bluffing and would most likely back down at the first sign of real conflict.
—Christopher Bort, Foreign Affairs, 10 Mar. 2022
Some Trump supporters who are pro-NATO have argued that Mr. Trump is bluffing.
—Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 9 Dec. 2023
Many smart and experienced experts were convinced Putin was bluffing.
—Melinda Haring, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2022
Huber Research Partners analyst Douglas M. Arthur speculated in a report that Charter might be bluffing about ditching the TV business.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
After all that bluffing about U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant)being the only character to return in the eight-episode limited series reboot of FX's Justified, Boyd Crowder is back!
—Terri Robertson, Country Living, 30 Aug. 2023
Noun
As the name implies, the real treat is the setting: The hotel stands on a bluff with a sight line extending out into Louisiana.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
Set on a high bluff overlooking the Alabama River, the park presents a painstaking narrative history of slavery, using first-person recollections, historical artifacts, and more than fifty sculptures.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Both slides are in a seven-mile stretch of tracks that runs along the beach below steep bluffs from Dana Point to the San Diego County line.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay Resting on a breathtaking coastal bluff roughly 20 miles from San Francisco International Airport, Five-Star The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay offers two championship courses: the Ocean Course and Old Course.
—Katie Sweeney, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Richter drove the truck up to the edge of the bluff.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2024
Framed by 30-foot bluffs along the shore, it's littered with driftwood from live oak and cedar trees.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2024
The Del Mar fatality is the 10th person to die after being hit by a train in San Diego County so far this year
DEL MAR —
A male pedestrian was killed when he was struck by a train on the North County Transit District tracks along the bluffs in Del Mar on Sunday evening, officials said.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2024
The home, in a gated community, is perched on a windy bluff not far from restaurants, bars, a casino — places of revelry.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bluff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bluff
Cite this Entry
“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluff. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bluff
1 of 4 adjective1
: rising steeply with a broad front
a bluff coastline
2
: frank and outspoken in a good-natured manner
bluffly
adverb
bluffness
noun
bluff
2 of 4 noun
: a high steep bank : cliff
bluff
3 of 4 verb
: to deceive or frighten by pretending to have strength or confidence that one does not really have
bluffer
noun
bluff
4 of 4 noun1
a
: an act or instance of bluffing
b
: the practice of bluffing
2
: one who bluffs
Etymology
Adjective
from an obsolete Dutch word blaf "flat"
Verb
probably from Dutch bluffen "to boast"
Geographical Definition
Bluff
geographical name
town in southern New Zealand
Note: Bluff serves as the port for the city of Invercargill.
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