bluffing Definition

bluff¹
verb

tr & intr
bluffed, bluffing
1. To deceive or try to deceive someone by pretending to be stronger, cleverer or more determined, etc than one really is.

Thesaurus: deceive, mislead, trick, fool, feign, hoodwink, bamboozle, sham.

noun

1. An act of bluffing.

Thesaurus: trick, ruse, lie, deception, pretence, subterfuge.

Idiom: bluff it out

colloq
To keep up a deception, in order to avoid a difficult or embarrassing outcome.

Idiom: call someone's bluff

To challenge or expose their bluff, by making them prove the genuineness of their claim, threat or promise, etc.

Etymology: 19c: originally used in poker, meaning to conceal (by confident behaviour) the fact that one has poor cards: from Dutch bluffen to brag or boast.

Phrasal Verb: bluff someone into or out of something

To fool or trick them into it, or into giving it up or giving it away, by bluffing.