bluster

blus·ter | \ ˈblə-stər

How to pronounce bluster (audio)

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blustered; blustering\ ˈblə-st(ə-)riŋ

How to pronounce blustering (audio)

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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

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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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 At times, the actor’s florid portrayal of the quirky, blustering general evokes, of all people, Frank Morgan’s Wizard of Oz. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "Subject and style are at war in flawed ‘Ben Butler’," 5 Aug. 2019 But as his host blustered, Mr Khan seemed to have little cause for concern. — The Economist, "America swaps its stick for a carrot in its dealings with Pakistan," 25 July 2019 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 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 But as his host blustered, Mr Khan seemed to have little cause for concern. — The Economist, "America swaps its stick for a carrot in its dealings with Pakistan," 25 July 2019 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 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun For all the bluster and theater over photocopies, blank signatures and cover letters, that is the reality: Johnson sent a letter written for him by Parliament asking for a three-month extension, and the EU received it. — Rob Picheta, CNN, "It's another crunch week for Brexit (no, we really mean it this time)," 21 Oct. 2019 The lack of any discernible strategy in Trump’s bluster has finally led Beijing to conclude that the trade war is simply a tool for domestic political purposes. — Charlie Campbell / Beijing, Time, "The U.S.-China Trade War Is Steering the World Toward Crisis and There Is No Easy Retreat," 7 Aug. 2019 But an NBC News investigation found that much of that list may be bluster, and that the project seems to have sputtered to a halt in 2016, though Pawar insisted the project is still going forward. — NBC News, "Pipe dream: The African cannabis empire that never was," 5 Dec. 2019 Tracy Letts is all magnificent bluster as CEO Henry Ford II, and there’s a fantastic scene between him and Damon where the automobile giant reverts to child-like glee during a drive. — Brian Truitt,, Detroit Free Press, "The bromance is real in retro-cool ‘Ford v Ferrari’," 15 Nov. 2019 Tracy Letts is all magnificent bluster as CEO Henry Ford II, and there’s a fantastic scene between him and Damon where the automobile giant reverts to child-like glee during a drive. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "Review: The bromance is real in Matt Damon and Christian Bale's retro cool 'Ford v Ferrari'," 11 Nov. 2019 Washington policy experts are split as to whether the administration’s broader strategy is deliberate or pure bluster. — Lev Facher, STAT, "How Joe Grogan, a former pharma lobbyist, upended Trump’s drug pricing agenda," 22 Oct. 2019 One is to bluster, boast, and threaten and then do little — as with Barack Obama’s bombast about red lines in Syria. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "The Trump Doctrine: Deterrence without Intervention?," 5 Nov. 2019 Yet amid all this bluster, there’s been frustratingly little talk about what desirable health care actually looks like. — Judy Berman, Time, "The Doctor Who Inspired House Navigates the Health Care Crisis in Netflix Docuseries Diagnosis," 15 Aug. 2019

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.

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Cite this Entry

“Bluster.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blustery. Accessed 21 January 2020.

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More Definitions for bluster

bluster

verb

English Language Learners Definition of bluster

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to speak in a loud and aggressive or threatening way

of wind : to blow loudly and violently

bluster

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bluster (Entry 2 of 2)

: words that are loud and aggressive

See the full definition for bluster in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bluster

blus·ter | \ ˈblə-stər

\

blustered; blustering

Kids Definition of bluster

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to talk or act in a noisy boastful way

2 : to blow hard and noisily strong winds blustering

bluster

Kids Definition of bluster (Entry 2 of 2)

: noisy violent action or speech

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