bluffing

American

[bluhf-ing] / ˈblʌf ɪŋ /

noun

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.
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

deceiving or misleading someone by a display of strength or confidence.

Determining whether one faces a serious or bluffing adversary constitutes a major challenge in the bargaining process.
“Advertising budget” is a poker term for the amount of chips a bluffing player is willing to invest to deceive opponents.

Other Word Forms

unbluffing

adjective

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

"A lot of people thought he was bluffing on more than a few things," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2025

Truly effective nuclear bluffing, however, includes occasional postures of irrationality, a distancing from the horrors of nuclear war.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023