as in cliffs
a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice
fossils embedded in a stone bluff that date from the Jurassic period
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in fools
to cause to believe what is untrue
I bluffed the interviewer into believing that I could really speak French and thus would be the perfect person to serve in the newspaper's Paris bureau
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pretends
to present a false appearance of
the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bluffs
Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Start this portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail—the Florida Trail, for short—from Southwest 79th Terrace in Jasper, then hike past cypress trees and limestone bluffs on the nearly eight-mile one-way trip to Holton Creek River Camp.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
Preliminary work already is underway at Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County for an $18 million project that will include the first major improvements in three decades to a 13-mile trail system that winds through sandstone canyons and bluffs along the Illinois River.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Part of Kansas City’s Park and Boulevard System for more than a century, Cliff Drive was designated a Missouri Scenic Byway in 2000, a title reflected in its limestone bluffs, wooded overlooks and views of the river valley below.
—Monty Davis, Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
Certain that a swimmer had been attacked, the witness and others along the bluffs quickly called the group out of the water.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the shores of Lake Michigan features miles of sand beach, lush forests, clear inland lakes, unique flora and fauna, towering bluffs, an island lighthouse, coastal villages, picturesque farmsteads and more.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 10 Nov. 2025
As in, rolling hills, limestone bluffs, and the largest remaining expanse of tallgrass prairie in North America.
—Erin Gifford, Outside, 30 Oct. 2025
Too often, these nations assume such threats are bluffs or exaggerations because their own logic struggles to grasp that someone would be so blatant.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Michael Silver, New York Times, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
One of the top projects in front of SANDAG, the regional planning agency, is relocating two miles of rail off the Del Mar bluffs, including a so far contentious process of selecting a new route.
—Verb
Mulugheta, who employed a similar strategy with client Jalen Ramsey that successfully forced a trade during the 2019 regular season, does not come off as a man who cavalierly bluffs.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluffs
Noun
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Accessible only by boat, the park is known for dramatic cliffs, wildlife encounters, kayaking, and hiking.—
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The hotel sits above a deep valley, with ancient caves built into the cliffs.—
Verb
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But nobody pretends that number is reliable.—
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Each night on her ongoing Short n’ Sweet tour Carpenter pretends to arrest a member of the crowd.—
Noun
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This park is all escarpments, rivers, and old forests.—
Verb
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One of the dangers of the Midwestern climate is a late-winter warm spell that thaws the soil and tricks bulbs and other plants into sprouting too early.—
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This tricks incoming missiles into targeting the decoy instead of the actual jet.—
Verb
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But many of their hitters have already taken swings against him – thanks to the sophisticated technology of Trajekt, a pitching machine that simulates the visual of any major-league pitcher’s mechanics and the shape of his pitches.—
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In the primary bath, the space is lined with $750,000 worth of ivory onyx tile featuring a $20,000 Toto Zero-Gravity tub that simulates floating.—
Verb
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In a statement issued Friday, the commission accused X of using its 'blue checkmark' in a way that deceives users.—
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The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.—
Verb
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Yet his rhetoric assumes that Jewish identity is synonymous with privilege, that Jewish concerns are secondary — or suspect.—
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The literary record assumes the same.—
Cite this Entry
“Bluffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluffs. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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