bluster

verb

blus·ter | \ ˈblə-stər

blustered; blustering\ ˈblə-st(ə-)riŋ

Definition of bluster

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to talk or act with noisy swaggering threats brags and blusters but rarely does what he says he'll do

2a : 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

bluster

noun

Definition of bluster (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from bluster Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about bluster

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Other Words from bluster

Verb

blusterer \ ˈblə-stər-ər

\ noun

Noun

blusterous \ ˈblə-st(ə-)rəs

\ adjective

blustery \ ˈblə-st(ə-)rē

\ 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

Rather than endure a humiliating climb-down that would involve admission of cheating and the destruction of the new missiles, Putin is blustering new threats. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "As a Key Arms-Control Treaty Is Set to Die, Russia Threatens to Target U.S. with New Nukes," 20 Feb. 2019 Abraham Lincoln even made an appearance, as did George Washington, each of them blustering about the foundations of this country. — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, "The Bachelorette Wants To Have Its Cake & Be Political, Too," 3 July 2018 And with that, Mai blustered through the mob with security on her tail. — Bianca Alysse, Billboard, "Ella Mai Wins New York City Over With Her Enchanting Concert at S.O.B.'s," 16 May 2018 During the same period, my stepmother got breast cancer, my mother-in-law had brain surgery, and Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un blustered on about nuclear war. — Jake Halpern, WSJ, "Drip, Drip: Why We Sweat the Small Stuff," 17 Apr. 2018 During the kids' first week back in school, a late-summer wind blustered up. — Logan Ward, Popular Mechanics, "How to Build a Treehouse in the Backyard," 20 Mar. 2017 In another post, Mira Rapp-Hooper looked at five takeaways from Trump’s blustering rhetoric on North Korea. — Elizabeth N. Saunders, Washington Post, "Five things Trump did on his summer vacation: A foreign policy roundup," 4 Sep. 2017 While candidate Trump blustered about scrapping the nuclear deal altogether, his administration has been compelled to shy away from such drastic unilateral action. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "The U.S. and Iran are heading toward crisis," 19 July 2017 As Dexter Filkins recently wrote, in , some officials fear that Trump will bluster about terrorism in public but privately delegate strategy to the military. — David Rohde, The New Yorker, "What Donald Trump Can Do to Help Stop Terrorism: Talk Less," 4 June 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Status within the profession is achieved through study and experience, as in other disciplines, rather than bluster. — The Economist, "Prophets and profitsIn South Korea fortune-telling will soon be a $3.7bn business," 24 Feb. 2018 America is governed by Donald Trump, who revels in matching North Korea in bluster. — The Economist, "Face offDonald Trump may be bluffing over a pre-emptive strike on North Korea," 27 Jan. 2018 Thus, a tweet full of bluster that allowed people to practically taste the chip growing on Gritty’s shoulder could only help pull Gritty into Philly’s good graces. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Gritty’s evolution from googly-eyed hockey mascot to meme to leftist avatar, explained," 24 Dec. 2018 From the outset, the prospect of a high-stakes face-to-face between these leaders had reinvigorated diplomacy — creating space for high-level talks, smoothing the release of US hostages, and generally substituting planning for bluster. — Evan Horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump canceled the North Korea summit. Here’s what it means," 24 May 2018 Ivanka’s stock went up, and she was widely perceived as someone who could tailor her father’s bluster into a message that younger women, moderates, and independents could get behind. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "Ivanka Trump's Curious Absence From the Midterm Campaign Trail," 29 Oct. 2018 The gambler Winston Churchill took chances in 1940, albeit rational ones backed by educated guesses that, for all Hitler’s bluster, the Third Reich had neither the air nor sea power to destroy the Anglosphere. — Victor Davis Hanson, New York Times, "When to Wage War, and How to Win: A Guide," 20 Apr. 2018 James Lebovic explained why Trump’s toughness on the Iran nuclear deal (and by extension, his bluster toward Trudeau) wouldn’t necessarily affect North Korea. — Elizabeth N. Saunders, Washington Post, "Trump and Kim will finally meet, but don’t expect much to change. Here’s why.," 11 June 2018 China has more to lose in a trade war despite its bluster about not negotiating. — Mark Louchheim, WSJ, "Trump Is Right About China Trade," 2 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bluster.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.