bluffing
Americannoun
-
the act of misleading someone by a display of strength, self-confidence, or the like.
While the bluffing goes on at the negotiating table, the public, the striking workers, and the employer all lose.
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Poker, Bridge. the act of deceiving an opponent by a show of confidence in the strength of one’s cards.
The digital version of the game falls short, because the bluffing needs that eye-to-eye contact, the smug and knowing smiles.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bluffing
First recorded in 1845–50; bluff 2 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; bluff 2 ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kids know if you’re bluffing, so do not make a threat that you’re not willing to carry though.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Some said war was all but inevitable, while one salesman who gave his name as Mehdi predicted the negotiations would succeed, saying: "The Americans are bluffing."
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
Beneath all the bluffing lies a determination of credibility.
From Slate • Nov. 20, 2025
“It’s like a kind of global entry, but with a different possibility, considering that a lot of the time I’m not exactly bluffing it, but I’m trying my best to make this work.’
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025
To a certain extent, Conant was bluffing, for the rising concern in Washington and the scientific community about a possible German bomb made an allied effort seem imperative, regardless of the prospects of success.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
