To bluff is to pretend you are stronger, more confident, or better informed than you really are, especially to trick someone in a game or negotiation.
The verb likely comes from Dutch “bluffen,” meaning “to brag” or “to deceive,” which entered English in the 1800s. There is also an older English noun “bluff” for a steep cliff, but that is from a different root.
In card games like poker, bluffing turns ignorance into a weapon: you win by making others believe your story. The word captures how much of human interaction depends not just on facts, but on performance and confidence.
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