bluster

1 of 2

verb

blus·​ter ˈblə-stər How to pronounce bluster (audio)
blustered; blustering ˈblə-st(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bluster (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to talk or act with noisy swaggering threats
brags and blusters but rarely does what he says he'll do
2
a
: to blow in stormy noisy gusts
a cold, blustering wind
b
: to be windy and boisterous
… when autumn blusters and the orchard rocks.Robert Browning

transitive verb

1
: to utter with noisy self-assertiveness
"I don't want to hear it!" he blustered.
2
: to drive or force by blustering
… trying to bluster us into the belief that they are much better than they look.F. A. Swinnerton
blusterer noun

bluster

2 of 2

noun

1
: a violent boisterous blowing
… the strong breeze driving them was setting up a bluster on the water.Rose Thurburn
2
: violent commotion
They do their work without bluster or ostentation.Stanley Walker
3
: loudly boastful or threatening speech
growing tired of his macho bluster
blusterous adjective
blustery adjective

Examples of bluster in a Sentence

Verb He brags and blusters, but he never really does what he says he'll do. “I don't want to hear it!” he blustered. The wind blustered through the valley. Noun We were all tired of his macho bluster. all the bluster in the campaign speech was intended to hide a lack of specifics
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Kenny, like the blustering patriarch of another aristocratic family with intelligent daughters, the Mitfords, was firmly of the opinion that formal education rendered young women unmarriageable. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024 His strategy was not to answer the questions, but to deflect the questions and spin his own agenda supported by his talent for blustering and bullying. Dean Minnich, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2024
Noun
But Musk, with his megaphone of almost 200 million followers on X and his penchant for bluster, has been particularly pugilistic, with a steady stream of missives on X and letters to Congress over the last week. Richard Nieva, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024 In his first leading film role, the superb Eidsvold, whose father was a real-life victim of the Quisling regime’s torture, erupts in outrage and bluster whenever his motives and policies are questioned. Alissa Simon, Variety, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bluster 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bluster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English blustren, probably from Middle Low German blüsteren

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bluster was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near bluster

Cite this Entry

“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluster. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

bluster

1 of 2 verb
blus·​ter ˈbləs-tər How to pronounce bluster (audio)
blustered; blustering -t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bluster (audio)
1
: to blow violently and noisily
2
: to talk or act in a noisy boastful way
blusterer noun

bluster

2 of 2 noun
1
: a violent noise or commotion
2
: loudly boastful or threatening speech
blustery adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on bluster

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