as in pretending
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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
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2
as in assuming
to present a false appearance of
the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead
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Recent Examples of bluffing
Gretchen Kalwinski, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
If the prover is bluffing, the verifier will almost certainly find a flaw in the coloring after enough guesses.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 11 May 2026
That could mean sneaking into hospitals, or bluffing their way into funerals.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 29 Mar. 2026
And sometimes bluffing goes beyond saving face.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
But some politicians and economists say the billionaires are largely bluffing.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Cue a total lockdown of the hospital as everyone tries to figure out if the guy was bluffing, all while putting out the fires (and tending to the victims) left by the explosion.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
After successfully bluffing his way into the house, Tom fumbles an attempt to hide his reasons for being there, leading Robbie to take him hostage.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
But Zelensky said Wednesday that the Russian leader was bluffing.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
The plan for the stadium could still collapse; the Bears’ billionaire owners could be bluffing to secure an Arlington Heights deal.
—Gretchen Kalwinski, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
If the prover is bluffing, the verifier will almost certainly find a flaw in the coloring after enough guesses.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 11 May 2026
That could mean sneaking into hospitals, or bluffing their way into funerals.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 29 Mar. 2026
And sometimes bluffing goes beyond saving face.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
But some politicians and economists say the billionaires are largely bluffing.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Cue a total lockdown of the hospital as everyone tries to figure out if the guy was bluffing, all while putting out the fires (and tending to the victims) left by the explosion.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
After successfully bluffing his way into the house, Tom fumbles an attempt to hide his reasons for being there, leading Robbie to take him hostage.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
But Zelensky said Wednesday that the Russian leader was bluffing.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluffing
Adjective
-
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The other is fooling humans, particularly the dwindling number of journalists, critics, and other gatekeepers who are still capable of conferring legitimacy by paying attention.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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After killing Minnesota’s first power play, the Avalanche opened the scoring when defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first career playoff goal, fooling Wallstedt with a rising wrist shot.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Liability insurance costs also rise dramatically — assuming coverage can be obtained in a state facing a severe insurance crisis — further reducing funds available for essential services.—
Kim Gorsuch,
Sun Sentinel,
16 June 2026
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That works out to roughly four reusable water bottles per day for men and about three for women, assuming bottles are in the standard 24- to 32-ounce range.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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Infiltrate a swanky New York law firm that may be duplicitous in the opioid crisis, an epidemic that also happens to have taken the life of her daughter.—
Whitney Friedlander,
Variety,
14 June 2026
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The takeaway, then, isn’t that students are duplicitous and depraved or that technology has eroded their moral core.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
Verb
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The schemes involve a predator pretending to be a teenager online and tricking victims into sending illicit photos of themselves.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
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Such techniques typically work by tricking the user into approving a request to approve a device owned by the attacker instead.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Verb
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This has become increasingly difficult, with professional players routinely simulating injuries and an offside rule that is interpreted to within fractions of an inch.—
Eric Zillmer,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
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Hundreds of first responders and volunteers gathered at Detroit Metropolitan Airport Wednesday morning to take part in a full-scale emergency training exercise simulating a real-life plane crash.—
Hannah McIlree,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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There are few things in this world more sanctimonious and hypocritical than left-wing sportswriters getting on their faux moral high horse.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
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Earlier this month, Matsui’s campaign came after Vang for taking corporate donations from Sacramento-area businesses during her city council campaigns, implying that Vang’s vows to not accept money from corporate PACs in her congressional bid is hypocritical.—
Mathew Miranda
June 4,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2026
Verb
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But O’Malley writes that this is deceiving.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
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He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condo deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.—
Jay Weaver
June 6,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffing. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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