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
Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026
Pilots can cut down the left or right canyons, go up over the rock bluffs or down into a Krayt dragon tunnel.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
Speaking of sips, the Mississippi River bluffs around Ste.
—Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 20 May 2026
Crews determined that the cave had two exits, either through the water to a beach with access to the bluffs or onto a pocket beach, but the trail was too steep to get onto the bluffs.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 18 May 2026
The parking lot sits right above the Pacific, with the ballfield another 50 feet up the bluffs.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
On the morning before his final Governor’s Fishing Opener in the title role, Tim Walz stood on the Stillwater waterfront, posing for myriad pictures and doing interviews with the community’s iconic Lift Bridge and the bluffs of Wisconsin behind him.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
The backstory The hotel first opened in 1961 as a 74-room inn catering largely to golfers and travelers drawn to the dramatic bluffs overlooking this once-wild stretch of southern California coastline.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Mammoth bluffs followed by last-minute retreats only deepened perceptions of inconsistency, further eroding deterrence.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
In late April, the board approved plans to install natural-looking wooden posts connected by metal chains between the sidewalk and the bluffs to encourage pedestrians to stay off the cliffs and use beach access stairs.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026
Pilots can cut down the left or right canyons, go up over the rock bluffs or down into a Krayt dragon tunnel.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
Speaking of sips, the Mississippi River bluffs around Ste.
—Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 20 May 2026
Crews determined that the cave had two exits, either through the water to a beach with access to the bluffs or onto a pocket beach, but the trail was too steep to get onto the bluffs.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 18 May 2026
The parking lot sits right above the Pacific, with the ballfield another 50 feet up the bluffs.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
On the morning before his final Governor’s Fishing Opener in the title role, Tim Walz stood on the Stillwater waterfront, posing for myriad pictures and doing interviews with the community’s iconic Lift Bridge and the bluffs of Wisconsin behind him.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
The backstory The hotel first opened in 1961 as a 74-room inn catering largely to golfers and travelers drawn to the dramatic bluffs overlooking this once-wild stretch of southern California coastline.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Mammoth bluffs followed by last-minute retreats only deepened perceptions of inconsistency, further eroding deterrence.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
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
-
Puglia’s Adriatic coast is dramatic, especially between Polignano a Mare and Monopoli, where clear waters lap undulating cliffs and flow into the occasional sea cave.—
Elizabeth Heath,
Travel + Leisure,
29 May 2026
-
According to state officials, the property features steep canyons, limestone cliffs, rolling hills, and long stretches of the West Nueces River, all centered around a spring‑fed 30‑acre lake.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Runway, Pika, and a dozen others can produce footage that fools the eye on first watch.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In each new place, Charlie pretends to be Layla, hoping to ensnare an unsuspecting Stanley into his web of deceit.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
-
Elsa argues with her mother, Isabel doesn’t like to be questioned and pretends everything’s all right, while Amalia hangs with dodgy characters and makes claims that seem real only to her.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Just as the sun prepared to sink beyond the escarpments, its rays struck every piece of the fractured glass resting on top of the window frames, alighting all of them at once, as if they were shot with electricity.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
-
This park is all escarpments, rivers, and old forests.—
Daniel Scheffler,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Well, at least Cindy's been fighting the good fight, which Brenda tricks her into waging alone every time.—
Entertainment Weekly,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
-
One possible danger is a rogue network that tricks people into joining.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Supercomputer simulates the remaining fixtures of a season 10,000 times and analyses the results to create an average league table from those simulations.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
The facility is likely the only one in the world that can do full-load, bidirectional testing that simulates both grid conditions and variable data-center loads.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The complaint also claims that the image deceives customers into thinking Lipa has endorsed the product and dilutes her brand identity.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
-
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
-
Ours is a pay-as-you-go system, and the IRS assumes that your income is received evenly throughout the year, says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.—
Liz Weston,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
As Bay Area News Group has reported, the county’s plan heavily relies on drawing down county cash reserves and assumes the recovery of millions in vehicle licensing revenues.—
Mercury News Editorial Board,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffs. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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