verb

bluff

bluhf

verb

To pretend to be stronger, more confident, or more prepared than you really are, in order to deceive or intimidate.

"He bluffed his way through the interview without any real experience."

"She was bluffing the whole time — she had a terrible hand."

noun

An act of pretending to be stronger or more confident than you really are.

"His threat to quit turned out to be just a bluff."

A steep cliff or bank, often beside a river or the sea.

"They watched the sunset from the top of the bluff."

How to Use Bluff

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo fake confidence or strength you don't actually have — or, as a noun, a steep cliff.

Common mistake

These are two unrelated meanings — a card-game "bluff" and a geographic "bluff" share no connection despite the identical spelling.

Common pairings

call someone's bluff bluff your way through

bluffer comparative, bluffed past tense, bluffed past tense, bluffs plural, bluffs plural, bluffs singular, bluffs singular, bluffest superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

He _____ his way through the interview without any real experience.

Probably from Dutch bluffen ("to brag"), related to German verblüffen ("to stump or perplex").

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