as in hype
information released to the media that is designed to gain public attention or support for a person, business, or cause
the newspaper's local stories are often thinly disguised puffery for area businesses
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puffery
The defense also has claimed that prosecutors are casting commonplace entrepreneurial puffery as a crime and singling out Watson, a Black founder in a tech world where African American executives have been disproportionately few.
—
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 June 2024
But overall, there should be a substantial amount of sizzle — or at least copious amounts of hot air and puffery — coming from next week’s upfront presentations.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 10 May 2024
This is where the focused music hall puffery of the production helps.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2024
That conclusion may sound preposterously quaint to some, unwelcome advice to a few, ridiculous puffery or an impossible goal to still others.
—David Baldacci, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puffery
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 June 2024
But overall, there should be a substantial amount of sizzle — or at least copious amounts of hot air and puffery — coming from next week’s upfront presentations.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 10 May 2024
This is where the focused music hall puffery of the production helps.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2024
That conclusion may sound preposterously quaint to some, unwelcome advice to a few, ridiculous puffery or an impossible goal to still others.
—David Baldacci, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puffery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffery
Noun
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In the days leading up to the competition, Norwood and Lyles called each other out on social media, building up hype for the race earlier today.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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The reopening festivities came together in just a couple months’ time, with a marketing campaign that Trotter acknowledges did not generate much hype in advance.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Duke was contractually paying Mensah for an exclusive license to use his publicity rights, but suing Mensah to stay at Duke indicates the contractual relationship went beyond those rights.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Baldoni said Lively and Reynolds used him as a scapegoat for the negative publicity.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Possessing the advertising stack is vital.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Late last year, California regulators found that Tesla had engaged in deceptive marketing and false advertising around their vehicles' driverless capabilities.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Live events are also perfect for interactive and shoppable advertisement formats, enabling viewers to make impulse purchases related to the event, such as team merchandise, directly from their screens, which leads to higher conversion rates for brands.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Makary, an avid podcast guest, has used his airtime to issue devastating takedowns of nutrition education, only to be interrupted by advertisements for unproven dietary supplements.—
Benjamin Mazer,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puffery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffery. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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