1
a
: having a broad flattened front
a ship with bluff bows
b
: rising steeply with a broad flat or rounded front
the bluff banks of the river
2
: good-naturedly frank and outspoken
a bluff, easygoing fellow
bluffly
adverb
bluffness
noun
bluffed; bluffing; bluffs
1
2
card games
: to deceive (an opponent) by a bold bet on an inferior hand
was bluffed out of a winning hand
: to bluff someone : act deceptively
You can tell when he is bluffing.
bluffer
noun
1
a
: a false threat or claim intended to deter or deceive someone : an act or instance of bluffing (see bluff entry 3)
Having … nothing to support his pretensions he decided to put up a bluff.—
Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood AndersonHis boss called his bluff.
b
: the practice of bluffing
The agreement had been reached, after weeks of bluff and haggle …—Time
Time2
: one who bluffs
Examples of bluff in a Sentence
Adjective
he's a bluff but good-hearted teacher
Noun (1)
fossils embedded in a stone bluff that date from the Jurassic period
Verb
She says someone else has made her a higher offer, but I think she's bluffing.
Don't listen to his threats—he's just bluffing you.
I bluffed my way through the interview.
Recent Examples on the Web
Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Though the Explorer majors much more on practicality, somehow Ford has managed to turn a fairly bluff front-end styling and generally boxy silhouette familiar to properly sensible family SUV into an attractive design.
—WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023
Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
Filmmaking is blind instinct, petty calculations, smooth generalship, daydreaming, pig-headedness, grace, bluff, risk.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
On the second interception, Simmons said Delaware bluffed as if an all-out blitz was coming before falling back into coverage and making the pick.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluff
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Adjective
One day in 2010, an e-mail from Steve Wentzel, the Zimbabwean tycoon, arrived in the in-box of one of South Pole’s founders—a tall, bluff German man named Christian Dannecker.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Though the Explorer majors much more on practicality, somehow Ford has managed to turn a fairly bluff front-end styling and generally boxy silhouette familiar to properly sensible family SUV into an attractive design.
—WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023
Noun
Proposition 50 essentially began as a bluff.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
Filmmaking is blind instinct, petty calculations, smooth generalship, daydreaming, pig-headedness, grace, bluff, risk.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
After successfully bluffing his way into the house, Tom fumbles an attempt to hide his reasons for being there, leading Robbie to take him hostage.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
On the second interception, Simmons said Delaware bluffed as if an all-out blitz was coming before falling back into coverage and making the pick.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluff
Cite this Entry
“Bluff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluff. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bluff
1 of 4 adjective1
: rising steeply with a broad front
a bluff coastline
2
: frank and outspoken in a good-natured manner
bluffly
adverb
bluffness
noun
bluff
2 of 4 noun
: a high steep bank : cliff
bluff
3 of 4 verb
: to deceive or frighten by pretending to have strength or confidence that one does not really have
bluffer
noun
bluff
4 of 4 noun1
a
: an act or instance of bluffing
b
: the practice of bluffing
2
: one who bluffs
Etymology
Adjective
from an obsolete Dutch word blaf "flat"
Verb
probably from Dutch bluffen "to boast"
Geographical Definition
Bluff
geographical name
town in southern New Zealand
Note: Bluff serves as the port for the city of Invercargill.
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