What does "bluff" mean?
An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio.
Bluff
/blʌf/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio.
- Grammar: bluff is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abrupt, act, act a part, acting.
- Useful contrasts: admit, admit uncertainty, diplomatic.
- Usage evidence: She was tempted to call his bluff, hardly believing that he would carry out his threat.
How to use "bluff"
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Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bluff" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio. countable, uncountable
"That is only bluff, or That is only a bluff."
- 2 A high, steep bank, for example by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face.
"In the sketch (which is taken about 75 Jovian days after that of the 2nd July) there is shown a dark copper-coloured streak along the southern margin of the south brown belt, butting on to a bluff-headed streak of cumulus cloud which may be the same remarkable bluff head noticed on July 2."
- 3 the act of bluffing in poker; deception by a false show of confidence in the strength of your cards wordnet
- 4 An attempt to represent oneself as holding a stronger hand than one actually does. countable, uncountable
"John’s bet was a bluff: he bet without even so much as a pair."
- 5 A small wood or stand of trees, typically poplar or willow. Canadian-Prairies
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 pretense that your position is stronger than it really is wordnet
- 7 The card game poker. US, dated, uncountable
"BLUFF OR POKER [title of a chapter]"
- 8 a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion) wordnet
- 9 One who bluffs; a bluffer. countable
- 10 Pretense, excuse. countable, dated, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To make a bluff; to give the impression that one’s hand is stronger than it is.
"John bluffed by betting without even a pair."
- 2 To fluff, puff or swell up.
"Not a sparrow on the cottage thatch, where the chimney's warmth had thawed the snow, that did not seem to have his great coat on, so bluffed out were the feathers, and not a frozen-out duck who did not glance up at the icicles hanging to the roof, and quack a prayer for rain."
- 3 frighten someone by pretending to be stronger than one really is wordnet
- 4 To frighten, deter, or deceive with a false show of strength or confidence; to give a false impression of strength or temerity in order to intimidate or gain some advantage.
"The government claims it will call an election if this bill does not pass. Is it truly ready to do so, or is it bluffing?"
- 5 deceive an opponent by a bold bet on an inferior hand with the result that the opponent withdraws a winning hand wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To perform or achieve by bluffing.
"We bluffed our way past the guards."
- 7 To give false information intentionally, to lie (to someone), to deceive; to put on an act. Manglish, Singlish
"Vinod, you want to bluff the doctor, your mother, father, uncle, auntie, CMPB all that I don't care. But you cannot bluff me."
Adjective
- 1 Having a broad, flattened front.
"the bluff bows of a ship"
- 2 Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front.
"a bluff or bold shore"
- 3 Surly; churlish; gruff; rough.
"[…] he had a bluff, rough-and-ready face, all roughened and reddened and lined in his long travels."
- 4 Roughly frank and hearty in one's manners.
"a bluff answer"
Adjective
- 1 bluntly direct and outspoken but good-natured wordnet
- 2 very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A town in Southland, New Zealand, the southernmost in the South Island, and seaport for the Southland region.
"Former name: Campbelltown"
Antonyms
Example
"She was tempted to call his bluff, hardly believing that he would carry out his threat."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bluff"?
Common synonyms include: abrupt, act, act a part, acting, affable, affect.
How do you use "bluff" in a sentence?
She was tempted to call his bluff, hardly believing that he would carry out his threat.
How do you pronounce "bluff"?
Pronounced /blʌf/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Probably from Dutch bluffen (“to brag”), from Middle Dutch bluffen (“to make something swell; to bluff”); or from the Dutch noun bluf (“bragging”). Related to German verblüffen (“to stump, perplex”).
Etymology 2
Related to Middle Low German blaff (“smooth”).
Etymology 3
Possibly onomatopoeic, perhaps related to blow and puff.