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
-
After being tricked by Scarpia, Cavaradossi is hanged for treason.—
Courtney Lewis,
Florida Times-Union,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Ever since the first caveman tricked his neighbor into trading a pile of rocks for some tasty mastodon steaks, con men have been persuading others to act against their own interests.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The criminals pretended to work for the FBI.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2026
-
This time, the scammers pretended to be representatives of Indiana and Maryland’s courts.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
He's seen every episode, don't be fooled.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
-
He’s seen every episode, don’t be fooled.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many shots audiences assumed were digital were actually practical effects using Jay’s wheelchair design.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
This all assumed that radiation, matter, and curvature were the only allowable components to the Universe.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Klipsch Austin Portable Bluetooth Speaker Deal Don't be deceived by the small Klipsch Austin portable speaker.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
To make this work, the researchers first simulated what these photonuclear events should look like.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
-
These additional effects are entirely simulated.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffed. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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