bluff

bluff — verb

1. to trick a person by acting as if you have more power, knowledge, or authority t

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to trick a person by acting as if you have more power, knowledge, or authority than you really have.

Example

Ravi bluffed the guard by flashing an old staff card at the gate.

bluff + person + by + -ing

With a steady voice, Leila bluffed the other team into backing away.

bluff + person + into + -ing

Common collocations
  • bluff the guard
  • bluff someone into backing down
  • just bluffing
Synonyms
  • trick

    broad everyday word for making someone believe something false

  • deceive

    more formal and wider in meaning; not limited to a bold show of confidence

  • intimidate

    focuses on fear rather than on the false show itself

Antonyms
  • warn

    to tell someone the truth about danger

  • admit

    to state honestly what is really true

Grammar Patterns

bluff + person

bluff + person + into + -ing

bluff + person + by + -ing

Usage Note

Often used when the speaker pretends to have power, special knowledge, or official status. Common patterns are 'bluff someone' and 'bluff someone into doing something'; distinguish from verb/2, which focuses on gaining entry or escape.

Common Mistakes

He bluffed that he was a doctor to enter the room.
He bluffed the guard by saying he was a doctor.
'bluff' usually takes the person you trick as the object.

2. to get into a place, past a barrier, or out of trouble by speaking with enough f

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to get into a place, past a barrier, or out of trouble by speaking with enough false confidence that people let you through.

Example

Hana bluffed her way into the concert by carrying a box of cables.

fixed pattern: bluff your way into

After losing his pass, Yusuf bluffed his way past the front desk.

fixed pattern: bluff your way past

Common collocations
  • bluff your way into
  • bluff your way out of
  • bluff your way past
Synonyms
  • talk your way out of

    informal; focuses on persuasive speech rather than a bold false show

  • fake it

    informal; can mean pretending to have ability, not only gaining access

  • wing it

    informal; often means managing without preparation, not necessarily by lying

Antonyms
  • confess

    to tell the truth instead of trying to escape by deception

  • own up

    informal; to admit the facts openly

Grammar Patterns

bluff your way into + place

bluff your way out of + situation

bluff your way past + person / check

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the pattern 'bluff your way into/out of/past ...'. Distinguish from verb/1: both senses involve lying, but this one stresses the result of getting access or escaping a problem.

Common Mistakes

She bluffed into the concert.
She bluffed her way into the concert.
this sense normally needs the fixed phrase with 'way'.
Phrasal verbs

bluff into doing

phrasal verb

To trick someone into doing something by pretending to have more power or knowledge.

The salesman bluffed the customer into buying a useless product.

Can you bluff him into signing the contract without reading it?

bluff your way in

phrasal verb

To gain entry to a place by using deception or false confidence.

Mia bluffed her way in by claiming she was a VIP guest.

He tried to bluff his way in, but the guard stopped him.

bluff your way into

phrasal verb

To gain access to a place or group by using deception or false confidence.

The reporter bluffed her way into the press conference.

Can we bluff our way into the party without invitations?

bluff your way out

phrasal verb

To escape a situation by using deception or false confidence.

The spy bluffed his way out when the guards questioned him.

She managed to bluff her way out of the embarrassing situation.

bluff your way out of

phrasal verb

To escape from a specific situation or place by using deception.

He bluffed his way out of the speeding ticket by acting confident.

How did she bluff her way out of the locked room?

bluff your way through

phrasal verb

To manage a difficult situation by pretending to know more than you do.

Sara bluffed her way through the interview with fake experience.

He bluffed his way through the exam by guessing the answers.

Idioms

bluff it out

idiom

To escape a difficult situation by continuing to lie, especially when others doubt you.

When the teacher questioned him, Tom tried to bluff it out.

She knew she was caught, but she decided to bluff it out anyway.

bluff — noun

bluff — adjective

Word family

  • bluffer
    nounC1
  • bluffing
    nounC1
  • bluffly
    adverbC2
  • bluffness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These words all involve making another person react in the wrong way, but they work differently. 'Bluff' usually means putting on a bold show so the other person thinks you are stronger, surer, or more ready to act than you really are. 'Trick' is broader and more everyday: any clever move that fools someone can be a trick. 'Deceive' is more formal and covers every kind of dishonest misleading. 'Mislead' often focuses on giving a wrong idea, not on sounding powerful. 'Intimidate' means making someone feel afraid, and it does not always involve lying. If you say, 'Leila bluffed the guard,' the false confidence matters. If you say, 'Leila deceived the guard,' the method is less specific.

bluff ↗trick ↗deceive ↗misleadintimidate ↗

Etymology

DutchMiddle Low GermanEnglish

Modern English 'bluff' brings together two older word histories that later met in spelling. The land sense and the older steep-fronted adjective go back to an obsolete Dutch word meaning something flat or broad at the front, related to Middle Low German forms with a similar shape meaning. The later verb and the noun for a false show are probably from Dutch 'bluffen', meaning to boast or to play a card game involving bold pretending. From that idea of boastful show, English developed the common sense of tricking people by seeming stronger or more certain than you really are.