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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in assuming
to present a false appearance of
the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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.
Verb
-
Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves.
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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.
Verb
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People also tend to confuse fragrance intensity with cleanliness, assuming a strong smell means a deeper clean.
-
Investors will take riskier positions, assuming the central bank will save them from their own mistakes.
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.
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The takeaway, then, isn’t that students are duplicitous and depraved or that technology has eroded their moral core.
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.
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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.
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.
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My research focused on simulating how special light waves interact in liquid crystals and using simple equations to approximate and understand those interactions.
Adjective
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Or means that any comments are supposedly hypocritical.
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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.
Verb
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The thing is, a lot of people have a talent for deceiving the public.
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Park and weather officials alike emphasize to Grand Canyon visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving.
Cite this Entry
“Bluffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffing. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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