Synonyms of bluffs

bluffs 1 of 2

noun

plural of bluff

as in cliffs

a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice

fossils embedded in a stone bluff that date from the Jurassic period

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cliffs
• escarpments
• palisades
• crags
• scars
• precipices
• scarps
• embankments
• buttes
• barrancas
• tors
• hogbacks
• cuestas
• declivities
• pitches
• bulwarks
• drop-offs

bluffs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bluff

1

as in fools

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

• fools
• tricks
• deceives
• gulls
• kids
• snows
• suckers
• teases
• dupes
• hoodwinks
• misleads
• hoaxes
• humbugs
• buffaloes
• deludes
• juggles
• misguides
• bamboozles
• gaffs
• cons
• strings along
• cozens
• misinforms
• has on
• sucks in
• cheats
• spoofs
• snookers
• gammons
• beguiles
• stings
• fakes out
• burns
• hornswoggles
• catches
• does a number on
• takes in
• has
• leads one down the garden path
• pulls one's leg
• pulls the wool over one's eyes
• swindles
• sticks
• rooks
• hustles
• fleeces
• defrauds
• mulcts
• flimflams
• puts on
• shortchanges
• chisels
• bleeds
• skins
• euchres
• diddles
• squeezes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exposes
• reveals
• unmasks
• uncovers
• shows up
• undeceives
• debunks
• tells
• discloses
• divulges
• uncloaks
• unveils
• disabuses
• disillusions
• disenchants

2

as in pretends

to present a false appearance of

the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pretends
• simulates
• assumes
• passes (for)
• acts
• affects
• feigns
• shams
• fakes
• dissembles
• poses
• counterfeits
• professes
• plays
• makes believe
• puts on
• conceals
• forges
• masquerades
• imitates
• masks
• camouflages
• disguises
• impersonates
• lets on
• dissimulates
• feints
• playacts
• malingers

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bluffs

Noun

Chief among them is San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, where astronomy enthusiasts can watch the planets appear atop craggy coastal bluffs. —Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 18 Feb. 2026

With its scenic bluffs alongside a 360-acre lake and ample opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, swimming and paddling, Devil's Lake remains a favorite destination for Wisconsinites – and visitors to the state. —Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 18 Feb. 2026

But scientists say the water is causing erosion along coastal bluffs, especially in the Torrey Pines area, raising the risk of rock and mud slides. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026

The land was a former family vineyard and cherry tree orchard -- an elevated site draped along a bend of high ridges and exposed bluffs that fall toward the water. —Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026

There are plenty of picnic spots on the bluffs to soak up the scenic surroundings and even a mixed fir and redwood forest within the property's bounds. —Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 28 Jan. 2026

Trump supporters often make the case that his stances should not be taken at face value and are mere bluffs designed for negotiation. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

By the cascading rock wall inspired by the Ozark bluffs and made of local limestone are long tables filled with people in their 20s to 40s on laptops. —Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2026

Verb

Mulugheta, who employed a similar strategy with client Jalen Ramsey that successfully forced a trade during the 2019 regular season, does not come off as a man who cavalierly bluffs. —Michael Silver, New York Times, 29 Aug. 2025