1
as in fooling
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 assuming
to present a false appearance of
the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in pretending
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bluffing
Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
But Zelensky said Wednesday that the Russian leader was bluffing.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
David Lerner, the mind behind MAGLYNX is not bluffing his way through buzzwords or chasing Silicon Valley validation.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Oil prices closed 1% lower as traders seem to believe the president is bluffing and the tariff won't really go into effect.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Lorne Michaels promised big changes at Saturday Night Live ahead of season 51’s premiere, and the creator and executive producer was evidently not bluffing.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
But Zelensky said Wednesday that the Russian leader was bluffing.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
David Lerner, the mind behind MAGLYNX is not bluffing his way through buzzwords or chasing Silicon Valley validation.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Oil prices closed 1% lower as traders seem to believe the president is bluffing and the tariff won't really go into effect.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluffing
Verb
-
Your press release isn’t fooling anyone.—
Roberta Matuson,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Stop fooling yourself and listen.—
Richard B. Williams,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These issues are very real and generally speaking there are very few, if any, magic combinations of settings to cure these problems for many players, and pretending like that’s true is either disingenuous or misinformed.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yet pop culture continues to fixate on these single women, with horror movies in particular framing them as duplicitous and unstable—threats to the public good.—
Beatrice Loayza,
The Atlantic,
13 Aug. 2025
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Unfortunately, my mom was irresponsible and even duplicitous about money many times over the years.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The perfectly still water creates a flawless mirror image of the stalactites above, tricking your eyes into seeing a vast, bottomless lake.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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What does work is tricking her into pressing a button that knocks her out.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At the current high multiple, that translates to about $6–7 billion in profits, or roughly $16 billion in revenue, assuming a 40% net margin—a target consistent with long-term projections.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Allen has to find a way to beat Patrick Mahomes or, more to the point, the Bills have to find a way to beat the Chiefs — assuming Kansas City recovers from its 0-2 start.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Delegates and party leaders described it as a corrupt and hypocritical maneuver from the governor.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Meghan McCain, the conservative commentator and daughter of late Senator John McCain, faced immediate backlash after mocking Greta Thunberg's appearance, comparing the Swedish climate activist to Shrek villain Lord Farquaad in a post critics slammed as hypocritical.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The honeymoon phase can be deceiving.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
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Share your horror at learning that this person is deceiving family members and basically stealing from them.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By simulating Earth with a global climate model, and feeding it a bewildering variety of data, the team brought snapshots of these ancient planets to life in some 85 slices of geological, paleontological history.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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Today’s use cases are limited, with most work concentrated on simulating chemistry and physics.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bluffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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