bluster

1 of 2

verb

blus·​ter ˈblə-stər 

blustered; blustering ˈblə-st(ə-)riŋ 

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

ˈblə-stər-ər 

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

ˈblə-st(ə-)rəs 

adjective

blustery

ˈblə-st(ə-)rē 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• fulminate
• huff
• rant
• rave
• spout

Noun

• bombast
• brag
• braggadocio
• bull [slang]
• cockalorum
• fanfaronade
• gas
• gasconade
• grandiloquence
• hot air
• magniloquence
• rant
• rodomontade
• rhodomontade

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

By Thursday, forecasters were urging drivers to avoid traveling in the blustering winds with minimal visibility. —Megan Michelson, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024

But Trump is a blustering, angry old man who performs a version of masculinity that’s immediately recognizable and, in some quarters, still admired as a sign of vibrancy. —Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024

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

Kids Definition

bluster

1 of 2 verb

blus·​ter ˈbləs-tər 

blustered; blustering -t(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to blow violently and noisily

2

: to talk or act in a noisy boastful way

blusterer

-tər-ər 

noun

bluster

2 of 2 noun

1

: a violent noise or commotion

2

: loudly boastful or threatening speech

blustery

-t(ə-)rē 

adjective