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 of bluster
Relevance
Verb
Noun
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
Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Trump has blustered, contradicted himself publicly, ramped-up rhetorically and then backed down, mostly without receiving obvious concessions.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
Unlike the politicians who are full of bluff and bluster and can see no further than the next election, Leo is charting a course for the long term.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bluster
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Verb
Eddie, a blustering man who’s often the loudest to laugh at the fat jokes hurled his way, is on the cusp of landing a new contract for his own variety show at CBS, a much larger network than his and Maggie’s current employer.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Trump has blustered, contradicted himself publicly, ramped-up rhetorically and then backed down, mostly without receiving obvious concessions.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
All bluster aside, this read as an attempt at de-escalation.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
Unlike the politicians who are full of bluff and bluster and can see no further than the next election, Leo is charting a course for the long term.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bluster
Cite this Entry
“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluster. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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