bluff

The word “bluff” means to pretend to be stronger, more confident, or more prepared than you really are, in order to deceive or intimidate. In plain terms, to fake confidence or strength you don't actually have — or, as a noun, a steep cliff.

“Bluff” is pronounced bluhf (/blʌf/ in IPA).

Here is “bluff” used in a sentence: “He bluffed his way through the interview without any real experience.”

Depending on how it is used, “bluff” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “bluff” comes from German. Probably from Dutch bluffen ("to brag"), related to German verblüffen ("to stump or perplex").

“Bluff” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Bluff” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to pretend to be stronger, more confident, or more prepared than you really are, in order to deceive or intimidate.

These are two unrelated senses of the same word: as a noun, a "bluff" can mean a steep cliff or bank, often beside a river or the sea, while as a verb or separate noun, "bluff" means to pretend to be stronger, more confident, or more prepared than you really are, in order to deceive or intimidate. Context makes clear which sense is meant, since a geographic bluff and a deceptive bluff share no direct connection.

To "call someone's bluff" means to challenge a person to act on a threat or claim you believe is false, forcing them to either follow through or admit they were only pretending. It directly draws on the sense of "bluff" as a pretense of strength or confidence.

Bluffing specifically means pretending to be stronger, more confident, or more prepared than you really are, often to intimidate or gain an advantage, such as in poker or negotiation. It overlaps with lying but is narrower in scope, usually referring to a strategic pretense of strength rather than a general false statement of fact.