bluff
adjective
good-naturedly direct, blunt, or frank; heartily outspoken.
had been bluffing
-
past perfect progressiveof bluff.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
In an interview, she denied telling Roque she had been bluffing about having phone records.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 26, 2023
Inside, the detectives found Gomez had been bluffing.
From BusinessWeek ● May 26, 2011
In fact, Sokolov had never notified U.S. reporters and had been bluffing all along.
From Time Magazine Archive
But by publicly demanding something their allies could not deliver and had never promised, the French made it appear that the U.S. had been bluffing, and the bluff had been called.
From Time Magazine Archive
None of the Fugees had heard of a gang called the Africans, and many thought Tito had been bluffing to frighten the American boy when he claimed to be in such a gang.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
