- good-naturedly direct, blunt, or frank; heartily outspoken: a big, bluff, generous man.
- presenting a bold and nearly perpendicular front, as a coastline: a bluff, precipitous headland.
- (of the bow of a vessel) having a full, blunt form.
- a cliff, headland, or hill with a broad, steep face.
- a clump or grove of trees on a prairie or other generally treeless area.
- to mislead by a display of knowledge, self-confidence, or boldness: He bluffed me into believing that he was a doctor.
- to gain by a misleading display of knowledge, self-confidence, or boldness: He bluffed his way into the job.
- to deceive (an opponent) by a show of confidence in the strength of one's cards.
- to mislead someone by presenting a bold, strong, or self-confident front: They threatened to sue, but they were only bluffing.
- to deceive an opponent by a show of confidence in the strength of one's cards.
- an act or instance or the practice of misleading by presenting a bold, strong, or self-confident front: Her story was all a bluff to get money from us.His assertive manner is mostly bluff.
- a person who misleads by presenting knowledge, self-confidence, or boldness; bluffer: That big bluff doesn't have a nickel to his name.
- to display confidence in the strength of one's hand when that hand is weak, as a way to win by making an opponent withdraw from play.
- to expose a person's deception, or challenge someone to carry out a threat: He always said he would quit, so we finally called his bluff.
- to pretend to be confident about an uncertain issue or to have undisclosed resources, in order to influence or deter (someone)
- deliberate deception intended to create the impression of a stronger position or greater resources than one actually has
- to challenge someone to give proof of his claims
- a steep promontory, bank, or cliff, esp one formed by river erosion on the outside bend of a meander
- a clump of trees on the prairie; copse
- good-naturedly frank and hearty
- (of a bank, cliff, etc) presenting a steep broad face
