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bluff

noun
/blʌf/US/blɐf/

Etymology

Probably from Dutch bluffen (“to brag”), from Middle Dutch bluffen (“to make something swell; to bluff”); or from the Dutch noun bluf (“bragging”). Related to German verblüffen (“to stump, perplex”).

  1. derived from bluffen
  2. borrowed from bluffen

Definitions

  1. An act of bluffing

    An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio.

    • That is only bluff, or That is only a bluff.
    • "That's enough," announced Joolby with decision. "You've put up all the bluff you know, Carrados, and we've got you dog-beaten. […]"

  2. An attempt to represent oneself as holding a stronger hand than one actually does.

    • John’s bet was a bluff: he bet without even so much as a pair.

  3. The card game poker.

    • BLUFF OR POKER [title of a chapter]
  4. ›+ 18 more definitions

    1. One who bluffs

      One who bluffs; a bluffer.

    2. Pretense, excuse.

    3. To make a bluff

      To make a bluff; to give the impression that one’s hand is stronger than it is.

      • John bluffed by betting without even a pair.

    4. To frighten, deter, or deceive with a false show of strength or confidence

      To frighten, deter, or deceive with a false show of strength or confidence; to give a false impression of strength or temerity in order to intimidate or gain some advantage.

      • The government claims it will call an election if this bill does not pass. Is it truly ready to do so, or is it bluffing?

    5. To perform or achieve by bluffing.

      • We bluffed our way past the guards.

    6. To give false information intentionally, to lie (to someone), to deceive

      To give false information intentionally, to lie (to someone), to deceive; to put on an act.

      • Vinod, you want to bluff the doctor, your mother, father, uncle, auntie, CMPB all that I don't care. But you cannot bluff me.

    7. A high, steep bank, for example by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain

      A high, steep bank, for example by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face.

      • It seems there was a worm that slept upon a pile of treasure, which it had zealously heaped up under a stone bluff.

    8. A small wood or stand of trees, typically poplar or willow.

    9. Having a broad, flattened front.

      • the bluff bows of a ship

    10. Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front.

      • a bluff or bold shore
      • Its banks, if not really steep, had a bluff and precipitous aspect.

    11. Surly

      Surly; churlish; gruff; rough.

      • […] he had a bluff, rough-and-ready face, all roughened and reddened and lined in his long travels.

    12. Roughly frank and hearty in one's manners.

      • a bluff answer
      • a bluff manner of talking
      • a bluff sea captain

    13. To fluff, puff or swell up.

      • I remember one idle bright afternoon here when Phillip bluffed out his little chest, sneaking expectant glances back at me and Cammy, until she "restrained" him from bickering with that beagle.

    14. A place in the United States

      A place in the United States:

    15. A group of suburbs in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

    16. A rural town in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia.

    17. A town in Southland, New Zealand, the southernmost in the South Island, and seaport for…

      A town in Southland, New Zealand, the southernmost in the South Island, and seaport for the Southland region.

      • Former name: Campbelltown

    18. A surname.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for bluff. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA