Bluff Definition

blŭf
bluffer, bluffest, bluffing, bluffs
verb
bluffing, bluffs
To engage in a false display of confidence or aggression in order to deceive or intimidate someone.
The management debated if there would really be a strike or if the union was bluffing.
American Heritage
To frighten (a person) by threats not intended to be carried out.
Webster's New World
To make a display of aggression, as by charging or baring the teeth, as a means of intimidating another animal.
American Heritage
To mislead or seek to mislead (a person) by a false, bold front.
Webster's New World
To manage to get (one's way) by bluffing.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
noun
bluffs
The act or practice of bluffing.
Webster's New World
A person who bluffs.
Webster's New World
A high, steep, broad-faced bank or cliff.
Webster's New World
A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face.
Wiktionary
(poker) An attempt to represent yourself as holding a stronger hand than you do.
John's bet was a bluff: he bet without even so much as a pair.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
adjective
bluffer, bluffest
Having, or ascending steeply with, a broad, flat front.
Webster's New World
Having a rough and frank but affable manner.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
pronoun
The southernmost town in the South Island of New Zealand, and seaport for the Southland region.
Wiktionary
idiom
bluff (one's) way
  • To deceive someone or accomplish something by making a false display.
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Bluff

Noun

Singular:
bluff
Plural:
bluffs

Adjective

Base Form:
bluff
Comparative:
bluffer
Superlative:
bluffest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Bluff

  • bluff (one's) way

Origin of Bluff

  • Probably from obsolete Dutch blaf or Middle Low German blaff broad

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Dutch bluffen (“brag”) or bluf (“bragging”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Related to Middle Low German blaff, "smooth".

    From Wiktionary

  • Origin unknown

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to bluff using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

bluff