1
as in tricked
to cause to believe what is untrue
I bluffed the interviewer into believing that I could really speak French and thus would be the perfect person to serve in the newspaper's Paris bureau
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pretended
to present a false appearance of
the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of bluffed
Any time the Patriots succeed with a new blitz or bluffed blitz in the first quarter, offenses expect to see it again later in the game.
—
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
On the second interception, Simmons said Delaware bluffed as if an all-out blitz was coming before falling back into coverage and making the pick.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
On the second interception, Simmons said Delaware bluffed as if an all-out blitz was coming before falling back into coverage and making the pick.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluffed
Verb
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Not long before Brettler's death, Sharma had learned the kid had tricked him.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
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Read how North Korean hackers tricked Ben and got into his computer.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Such stories play upon our own imaginings; anyone who’s run a toy car across the landscape of a floor, or pretended a planter was a jungle, or made a mountain out of a mound, or projected themselves into a model train layout — indeed, a scene here — will relate.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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In the end, Zac – who pretended to be rich – and Sharma – who pretended to be his mentor – were both imposters.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some commenters on social media said they were nearly fooled, but others compared the all-white design to certain plates manufactured years ago that are prone to peeling.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Don’t be fooled by the casual, conveyor belt setup; diners rave about its excellent quality and freshness.—
Zoe Baillargeon,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As a reluctant child of the Ain’t it Cool News era, the Drafthouse had long assumed some kind of legendary status in my mind.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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Investors have assumed that geopolitical tensions will eventually fade and markets will rebound.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Klipsch Austin Portable Bluetooth Speaker Deal Don't be deceived by the small Klipsch Austin portable speaker.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Svetlana Petriychuk wrote the play Finist, the Brave Falcon, based on real events, about Russian women deceived into marrying ISIS fighters and traveling to Syria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Boone said Carlos Rodón, set back by some hamstring tightness, simulated two innings in a bullpen session on Wednesday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
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The team members simulated different atomic arrays to get a sense of how fast each size could crack the two main encryption schemes, called Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC).—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffed. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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