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
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
Most mentions of Florida were mere puffery, with little indication of what DeSantis intends to accomplish.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puffery
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
Most mentions of Florida were mere puffery, with little indication of what DeSantis intends to accomplish.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puffery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffery
Noun
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While hype typically mounts around the release of Starbucks' holiday menu and collection, some people are saying they were let down by the lack of availability of the Bearista cup.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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And Manning has improved as the season has gone along, but he’s hardly played to the level the preseason hype (and his name) would have suggested.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Roosevelt used his relationship with the press not just to gain publicity but also to deny it to adversaries.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Nov. 2025
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Three decades on, Martin is invited to Ben’s lavish birthday party at the Fitzmaurice’s country pile, but Martin fears that the publicity of Ben’s bid for Conservative leader will dredge up the secrets of their past with tragic consequences.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court on Tuesday, brings claims for deceptive practices and false advertising, among others.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
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Widespread cuts The layoffs hit nearly all of Amazon's business units, from logistics, AWS, retail and grocery stores to Prime Video, advertising and gaming, according to people familiar with the matter and employee posts on LinkedIn.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Hannity segment then turned to the online backlash surrounding actor Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans advertisement.—
Adisa Hargett-Robinson,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
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In a separate ruling, in October 2025, the French equalities regulator said Meta’s Facebook algorithm breached France’s anti-discrimination law by displaying different job advertisements to men and women.—
Carlotta Dotto,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puffery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffery. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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