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.

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

But Scappaticci was bluffing and did not actually want to succeed, since if the government was ordered to tell the truth, he would have been confirmed as Stakeknife.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

Anyone who confidently predicts its outcome is bluffing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

As the conference approached its scheduled end this week, the U.N.’s climate chief chided negotiators for digging in their heels and wasting time with bluffing and brinkmanship.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024

Nobody said anything, but we knew he was bluffing.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

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