puffery
noun
puff·ery
ˈpə-f(ə-)rē 
: exaggerated commendation especially for promotional purposes : hype
Examples of puffery in a Sentence
the newspaper's local stories are often thinly disguised puffery for area businesses
Recent Examples on the Web
Sonny was married for more than 40 years to his beloved Margo — who, as was often the case of the wives of famous/infamous men, knew exactly how and when to best burst his occasional balloon of self-importance and puffery.
—
David Aldridge, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Vendor puffery may also be legal, but that means the IT customer needs a healthy skepticism of the typically too-good-to-be-true promises vendors make.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Nov. 2025
The defendants have been described by one defense lawyer as being video gamers and recreational gun enthusiasts who were engaged in puffery, nothing else.
—Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Which is why, having failed to stop the coming spending cuts with preening puffery and shameless dishonesty, defenders of taxpayer dollars for public media have pulled out the last tool out of their political toolbox.
—Michael Graham, Boston Herald, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for puffery
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David Aldridge, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Vendor puffery may also be legal, but that means the IT customer needs a healthy skepticism of the typically too-good-to-be-true promises vendors make.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Nov. 2025
The defendants have been described by one defense lawyer as being video gamers and recreational gun enthusiasts who were engaged in puffery, nothing else.
—Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Which is why, having failed to stop the coming spending cuts with preening puffery and shameless dishonesty, defenders of taxpayer dollars for public media have pulled out the last tool out of their political toolbox.
—Michael Graham, Boston Herald, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for puffery
Cite this Entry
“Puffery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puffery. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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