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
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
That moment taught me the value of candor over puffery.
—Marc Stad, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for puffery
Michael Graham, Boston Herald, 18 July 2025
That moment taught me the value of candor over puffery.
—Marc Stad, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for puffery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffery
Noun
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But the hype for that game – Michigan native Draymond Green’s homecoming – pales in comparison to their next two opponents.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Kyle Schwarber became the team’s de facto hype man, making a speech on at least one bus ride to and from the ballpark.—
Maria Torres,
New York Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In court, Kayumi’s lawyer, Michael Arthus, pointed to the extensive publicity surrounding the case and asked that prosecutors avoid saying anything that could prejudice potential jurors.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
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Kayumi’s lawyer, Michael Arthus, pointed in court to the extensive publicity surrounding the case and asked that prosecutors avoid saying anything that could prejudice potential jurors.—
Jake Offenhartz,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But neither state offers addiction or bankruptcy prevention protections and other guardrails like restricting advertising and requiring a spouse to consent before a joint bank account is used for gambling.—
Suzanne King,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2026
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Streaming drew by far the largest tune-in, with 43% of all non-sports viewing, a reflection of the overall growth of advertising on streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and others.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The team's performance is both an advertisement to the world for Italian baseball and an advertisement back home for the sport itself.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
13 Mar. 2026
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Signs that are unusually large or look more like advertisements than informational notices may not be fully compliant.—
Gary Singer,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puffery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffery. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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