Definition of pufferynext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of puffery But management also decided against trying to brag about these network-level changes with new status-bar icons or other sorts of customer-experience puffery. Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026 Vendor puffery may also be legal, but that means the IT customer needs a healthy skepticism of the typically too-good-to-be-true promises vendors make. IEEE Spectrum, 23 Nov. 2025 The defendants have been described by one defense lawyer as being video gamers and recreational gun enthusiasts who were engaged in puffery, nothing else. Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025 Which is why, having failed to stop the coming spending cuts with preening puffery and shameless dishonesty, defenders of taxpayer dollars for public media have pulled out the last tool out of their political toolbox. Michael Graham, Boston Herald, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for puffery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffery
Noun
  • Picking a beach club by its pasta instead of its sunbeds sounds excessive, but in Italy, a pasta dish worth the hype can do this to someone.
    Jenn Rice, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • And SpaceX stock sank below its $135 IPO price for the first time about a month after its blockbuster debut, as hype around the reusable rocket maker fizzled.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Noun
  • In June 2018, for example, a Soyuz launched with a FIFA World Cup logo that may have been a publicity campaign to advertise the soccer competition, which was occurring that month in Russia.
    Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 17 July 2026
  • The commercials generated enough publicity that rival Comcast complained about then.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 July 2026
Noun
  • Part of the issue was Disney’s decision to release the show, which had been completed since around 2024, all at once, dumping 22 episodes onto the platform with limited prior advertising.
    Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
  • In May, the NCAA reversed its long-standing ban on alcohol advertising during March Madness, allowing makers of beer, wine, spirits and hard seltzer makers to sponsor the college basketball tournaments for the first time starting next season.
    Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 17 July 2026
Noun
  • People in costumes marched alongside floats with advertisements and extravagantly patriotic decorations.
    Nolan Rogalski, The Providence Journal, 5 July 2026
  • In April, authorities say investigators with the California’s Contractors State License Board’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team discovered online advertisements offering construction services that did not list a contractor license number.
    Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Puffery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffery. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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