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
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
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
Verb
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
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
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
-
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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Once stakeholders begin assuming that every image, video, or statement could be fabricated, institutional trust weakens across the board.—
Richard Torrenzano,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
-
And, teams assuming low-code handles anything can end up with fragile systems held together by workarounds.—
Nik Froehlich,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Also on the call sheet is Kathryn Hahn, hailed for her recent works in Agatha All Along and The Studio, and who is playing the duplicitous Mother Gothel.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2026
Verb
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While Matthew and Mu-won started Gojeuneok Bio together, Chang-ho has launched a cosmetics company that makes its money by tricking smaller companies into giving away the secrets behind their products.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 May 2026
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The church hosts sure love tricking us into eating raw broccoli by serving it up in this creamy pasta salad.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Three days after that, Skubal fired 35 pitches in another bullpen session, simulating what would normally be a start day.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
-
These models are getting better at simulating reality.—
Nilay Patel,
The Verge,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
People are fixating on celebrities of all kinds, accusing singers of body-positive anthems of being hypocritical, rolling their eyes at athletes promoting weight loss drugs and whispering about the thinness of their favorite movie stars.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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Yet, the sense of cognitive dissonance that pervades this space can feel blindingly hypocritical.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
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In 2023, Newsom announced California's landmark lawsuit against major oil companies, accusing them of deceiving the public about climate change and linking fossil fuel emissions to worsening heat waves, droughts and devastating wildfires.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
23 May 2026
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He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condominium deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffing. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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