bluff
Use Bluff in a sentence
adjective
1.
good-naturedly direct, blunt, or frank; heartily outspoken: a big, bluff, generous man.
2.
presenting a bold and nearly perpendicular front, as a coastline: a bluff, precipitous headland.
3.
Nautical. (of the bow of a vessel) having a full, blunt form.
noun
4.
a cliff, headland, or hill with a broad, steep face.
5.
North Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Canadian Prairie Provinces. a clump or grove of trees on a prairie or other generally treeless area.
00:10
Bluff
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Origin:
1620–30; perhaps < Middle Low German blaff smooth, even, or < Middle Dutch blaf broad, flat
1620–30; perhaps < Middle Low German blaff smooth, even, or < Middle Dutch blaf broad, flat
Related forms
bluff·ly, adverb
bluff·ness, noun
Antonyms
1. subtle.
1. subtle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
1.
to mislead by a display of strength, self-confidence, or the like: He bluffed me into believing that he was a doctor.
2.
to gain by bluffing: He bluffed his way into the job.
3.
Poker. to deceive by a show of confidence in the strength of one's cards.
verb (used without object)
4.
to mislead someone by presenting a bold, strong, or self-confident front: That open face makes it impossible for him to bluff.
noun
Idioms 5.
an act or instance or the practice of bluffing: Her pathetic story was all a bluff to get money from us. His assertive manner is mostly bluff.
6.
a person who bluffs; bluffer: That big bluff doesn't have a nickel to his name.
7.
call someone's bluff, to expose a person's deception; challenge someone to carry out a threat: He always said he would quit, so we finally called his bluff.
Origin:
1665–75; perhaps < Low German bluffen to bluster, frighten; akin to Middle Dutch bluffen to make a trick at cards
1665–75; perhaps < Low German bluffen to bluster, frighten; akin to Middle Dutch bluffen to make a trick at cards
Related forms
bluff·a·ble, adjective
bluff·er, noun
un·bluff·a·ble, adjective
un·bluffed, adjective
un·bluff·ing, adjective
Synonyms
1. deceive, fool, dupe, delude, hoodwink.
1. deceive, fool, dupe, delude, hoodwink.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To bluff
Collins
World English Dictionary
bluff1 (blʌf) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to pretend to be confident about an uncertain issue or to have undisclosed resources, in order to influence or deter (someone) |
| —n | |
| 2. | deliberate deception intended to create the impression of a stronger position or greater resources than one actually has |
| 3. | call someone's bluff to challenge someone to give proof of his claims |
| [C19: originally US poker-playing term, from Dutch bluffen to boast] | |
| 'bluffer1 | |
| —n | |
| bluff2 (blʌf) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a steep promontory, bank, or cliff, esp one formed by river erosion on the outside bend of a meander |
| 2. | (Canadian) a clump of trees on the prairie; copse |
| —adj | |
| 3. | good-naturedly frank and hearty |
| 4. | (of a bank, cliff, etc) presenting a steep broad face |
| [C17 (in the sense: nearly perpendicular): perhaps from Middle Dutch blaf broad] | |
| 'bluffly2 | |
| —adv | |
| 'bluffness2 | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
bluff
1839, Amer.Eng., poker term, perhaps from Du. bluffen "to brag, boast," or verbluffen "to baffle, mislead." An identical word meant "blindfold, hoodwink" in 1670s, but the sense evolution and connection are unclear. OED calls it, "one of the numerous cant terms ... which arose between the Restoration
and the reign of Queen Anne."
bluff
1680s, from Du. blaf "flat, broad," apparently a North Sea nautical term for ships with flat vertical bows, later extended to landscape features.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Anything could happen in this game of nuclear bluff.
When that happens, it tries to bluff its way out of becoming a tasty treat.
Thus, he thought it sometimes right for the police to bluff even about incriminating evidence.
With the lab jobs in hand, our confidently stated bluff became a reality.
Idioms & Phrases
Image for bluff
Nearby Words
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