26984 words

bluff

8 definitions • 9 examples
1
to deceive someone by making them think either that you are going to do something when you really have no intention of doing it, or that you have knowledge that you do not really have, or that you are someone else:

Examples:

bluff someone into something/doing something She bluffed the doorman into thinking that she was a reporter.
Is he going to jump or is he only bluffing?
Tony seems to know a lot about music, but sometimes I think he's only bluffing.
2
If you bluff your way into or out of a situation, you get yourself into or out of it by deceiving people:

Examples:

How did Mina manage to bluff her way into that job?
3
an attempt to bluff:

Examples:

When she said she was leaving him, he thought it was only a bluff.
4
a cliff or very steep bank
5
direct or too honest, often in a way that people find rude:

Examples:

Despite her bluff manner, she's actually a very kind woman.
6
to try to trick someone into believing something, esp. in order to get an advantage over that person:

Examples:

[ I ] The landlord claimed to have the right to raise his rent, but we believed he was bluffing and refused to pay it.
7
(used in many names of places) a cliff or steep slope, often above a river:

Examples:

Council Bluffs, Iowa
8
an attempt to trick someone:

Examples:

The threat to go on strike was no bluff, the union leaders insisted.

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