blustered; blustering
ˈblə-st(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to talk or act with noisy swaggering threats
brags and blusters but rarely does what he says he'll do
2
a
: to blow in stormy noisy gusts
a cold, blustering wind
b
: to be windy and boisterous
… when autumn blusters and the orchard rocks.—
Robert Browning
Robert Browning1
: to utter with noisy self-assertiveness
"I don't want to hear it!" he blustered.
2
: to drive or force by blustering
… trying to bluster us into the belief that they are much better than they look.—F. A. Swinnerton
F. A. Swinnerton1
: a violent boisterous blowing
… the strong breeze driving them was setting up a bluster on the water.—Rose Thurburn
Rose Thurburn2
: violent commotion
They do their work without bluster or ostentation.—Stanley Walker
Stanley Walker3
: loudly boastful or threatening speech
growing tired of his macho bluster
Synonyms
Examples of bluster in a Sentence
Verb
He brags and blusters, but he never really does what he says he'll do.
“I don't want to hear it!” he blustered.
The wind blustered through the valley.
Noun
We were all tired of his macho bluster.
all the bluster in the campaign speech was intended to hide a lack of specifics
Recent Examples on the Web
Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
His strategy was not to answer the questions, but to deflect the questions and spin his own agenda supported by his talent for blustering and bullying.
—Dean Minnich, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2024
Evan Clark, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024
Even with all his newfound bluster, Minhaj has a tendency to rely more on attitude and performance to sell jokes than surprising punch lines.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bluster 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Kenny, like the blustering patriarch of another aristocratic family with intelligent daughters, the Mitfords, was firmly of the opinion that formal education rendered young women unmarriageable.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
His strategy was not to answer the questions, but to deflect the questions and spin his own agenda supported by his talent for blustering and bullying.
—Dean Minnich, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2024
Noun
But once that process is decided — hopefully smoothly — the White House will have to start to work with Capitol Hill, which is where, for all the bluster of the presidency, the laws that govern the U.S. are written.
—Evan Clark, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024
Even with all his newfound bluster, Minhaj has a tendency to rely more on attitude and performance to sell jokes than surprising punch lines.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bluster
Articles Related to bluster
Dictionary Entries Near bluster
Cite this Entry
“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluster. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share