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
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
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Although it is widely understood that Russia's space program is in decline, the most common tactic among Russian officials is to bluster about past greatness and talk about all the new programs that are under development.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2025
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
But Putin will not be persuaded by bluster and self-congratulation alone.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluster
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Verb
The administration also has ordered a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and blustered about regime change given the nation’s awful socialist leader.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Although it is widely understood that Russia's space program is in decline, the most common tactic among Russian officials is to bluster about past greatness and talk about all the new programs that are under development.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
But the fact is, Duffy has a point, and Musk, for all his online bluster, has the weaker hand.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
But Putin will not be persuaded by bluster and self-congratulation alone.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluster
Cite this Entry
“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluster. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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