bluffing

[ bluhf-ing ]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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

1. 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 Words From

• un·bluff·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bluffing¹

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

“I’m bluffing. But you wait and see. I’ll bluff the Justice Department into backing down.”

From Salon

"The GOP-leaning business elite I talk to," the Washington Post's Jeff Stein reported, "are convinced the Trump tariff threats are ultimately bluster, position-taking, bluffing."

From Salon

Maybe Hezbollah and Iran are bluffing; they may be making this threat as a way of pressuring Israel to end the war.

From Slate

Does Putin really have any “red lines,” or is he—has he always been—bluffing?

From Slate

Maybe he was bluffing, but nobody could be sure.

From Slate