blustered; blustering
ˈblə-st(ə-)riŋ 
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
Robert Browning1
: 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
F. A. Swinnerton1
: a violent boisterous blowing
… the strong breeze driving them was setting up a bluster on the water.—Rose Thurburn
Rose Thurburn2
: violent commotion
They do their work without bluster or ostentation.—Stanley Walker
Stanley Walker3
: loudly boastful or threatening speech
growing tired of his macho bluster
Synonyms
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 WebMartin Weil, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2023
Trump could bluster his way through such one-sided fights and declare victory when none existed.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Oct. 2023
Trump’s supporters are choosing to stand behind him because of his blustering personality and style.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023
Justin Theroux played a brusque, blustering Mr. Wulf, much to his annoyance.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 18 July 2023
Other employers, notably the Hollywood moguls trying to bluster their way through a strike by actors and writers and the management of fierce anti-union companies such as Starbucks, are well advised to pay attention.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2023
The blustering support for the billionaire dominated a Thursday House Judiciary Committee hearing overseeing the agency’s work under Khan’s leadership.
—Makena Kelly, The Verge, 14 July 2023
The tone is set by Arquette herself, who blusters and grand- stands in a performance bound to polarize.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 May 2023
For nearly three years now, I’ve been fascinated by the performance art of this blustering pettifogger.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
Bob Kocher, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023
For all of his bluster, Knight saw himself in simple terms.
—Mike Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
The Claimant, by contrast with Bogle, is all empty bluster.
—Lynn Steger Strong, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023
Conservative backlash is 'bluster,' diversity advocate says In the fight to level opportunities for underrepresented groups, the stakes are high, according to Shijuade Kadree, director of tech equity and the tech accountability coalition at the Aspen Institute.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023
If Trump were to win next year, these rulings would surely be reversed, despite his pro-worker bluster.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2023
These may be the twilight months of Israel’s longest-serving leader, then, a feeble coda to two decades’ worth of power and bluster and ego.
—Ruth Margalit, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023
Johnson, to give him his due, brought his customary, shallow bluster.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
Endless Republican news conferences at the border and threats to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, were dismissed as political bluster.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
See More
Verb
Our windiest day of autumn blew and blustered across the Washington area on Saturday, with powerful gusts attaining hold-onto-your-hat speeds, reaching into the 40 mph range.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2023
Trump could bluster his way through such one-sided fights and declare victory when none existed.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Oct. 2023
Trump’s supporters are choosing to stand behind him because of his blustering personality and style.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023
Justin Theroux played a brusque, blustering Mr. Wulf, much to his annoyance.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 18 July 2023
Other employers, notably the Hollywood moguls trying to bluster their way through a strike by actors and writers and the management of fierce anti-union companies such as Starbucks, are well advised to pay attention.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2023
The blustering support for the billionaire dominated a Thursday House Judiciary Committee hearing overseeing the agency’s work under Khan’s leadership.
—Makena Kelly, The Verge, 14 July 2023
The tone is set by Arquette herself, who blusters and grand- stands in a performance bound to polarize.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 May 2023
For nearly three years now, I’ve been fascinated by the performance art of this blustering pettifogger.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
Noun
Payors play hardball with hospitals and drop systems who refuse to negotiate
Normally, after much bluster, hospitals win payor negotiations since payors are unwilling to drop hospitals from their networks.
—Bob Kocher, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023
For all of his bluster, Knight saw himself in simple terms.
—Mike Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
The Claimant, by contrast with Bogle, is all empty bluster.
—Lynn Steger Strong, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023
Conservative backlash is 'bluster,' diversity advocate says In the fight to level opportunities for underrepresented groups, the stakes are high, according to Shijuade Kadree, director of tech equity and the tech accountability coalition at the Aspen Institute.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023
If Trump were to win next year, these rulings would surely be reversed, despite his pro-worker bluster.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2023
These may be the twilight months of Israel’s longest-serving leader, then, a feeble coda to two decades’ worth of power and bluster and ego.
—Ruth Margalit, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023
Johnson, to give him his due, brought his customary, shallow bluster.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
Endless Republican news conferences at the border and threats to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, were dismissed as political bluster.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
See More
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
Articles Related to bluster
Dictionary Entries Near bluster
Cite this Entry
“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluster. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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