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
Relevance
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pretends
to present a false appearance of
the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bluffs
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
One of the top projects in front of SANDAG, the regional planning agency, is relocating two miles of rail off the Del Mar bluffs, including a so far contentious process of selecting a new route.
—Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Where limestone bluffs rise above the East Bottoms and the steady hum of industry drifts below, this section through Kessler Park offers an escape that feels far removed from the city around it.
—Monty Davis, Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
Michael Silver, New York Times, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
One of the top projects in front of SANDAG, the regional planning agency, is relocating two miles of rail off the Del Mar bluffs, including a so far contentious process of selecting a new route.
—Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Where limestone bluffs rise above the East Bottoms and the steady hum of industry drifts below, this section through Kessler Park offers an escape that feels far removed from the city around it.
—Monty Davis, Kansas City Star, 1 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluffs
Noun
-
The Spencer Trail branches off; an old pack mule route hacked from the cliffs.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
These cliffs are prone to landslides, creating safety issues.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The human therapist pretends to be a client.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
By March, the city pretends the interruption never happened.—
Alexandra Martinez,
Artforum,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This park is all escarpments, rivers, and old forests.—
Daniel Scheffler,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One of the dangers of the Midwestern climate is a late-winter warm spell that thaws the soil and tricks bulbs and other plants into sprouting too early.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
-
This tricks incoming missiles into targeting the decoy instead of the actual jet.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The software simulates wind passing over the avatar, computational fluid dynamics calculate how much resistance there is — and how tweaking a skater’s form alters that.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Most prominently, engineers detected leaking hydrogen during the test, known as a wet dress rehearsal that simulates a launch day countdown.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In a statement issued Friday, the commission accused X of using its 'blue checkmark' in a way that deceives users.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
5 Dec. 2025
-
The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This assumes no growth in demand.—
Alex Pavlak,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Feb. 2026
-
But things take a turn for the worse when Edward's clairvoyant sister Alice (Ashley Greene) mistakenly assumes Bella plummeted to her death while cliffdiving.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffs. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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