bluster

1 of 2

verb

blus·​ter ˈblə-stər How to pronounce bluster (audio)
blustered; blustering ˈblə-st(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bluster (audio)

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1
: 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
blusterer noun

bluster

2 of 2

noun

1
: a violent boisterous blowing
… the strong breeze driving them was setting up a bluster on the water.Rose Thurburn
2
: violent commotion
They do their work without bluster or ostentation.Stanley Walker
3
: loudly boastful or threatening speech
growing tired of his macho bluster
blusterous adjective
blustery adjective

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
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
Lavar Ball, the patriarch of the family, is a blustering boxing promoter of a personality, and brothers LaMelo and Lonzo Ball are successful NBA players who will be in the public consciousness for the foreseeable future. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2025 There’s even direct homage to the former, with a chase scene set inside a noisy blustering nightclub. Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025
Noun
And yet late Sunday, after hours of online bluster, Petro backed down, the prospect of a trade war with the U.S. proving too frightening to contemplate. Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2025 But then there are those moments when Josephine’s bluster falters, revealing the raw and heartbreaking vulnerability still pulsing underneath. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for bluster

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English blustren, probably from Middle Low German blüsteren

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bluster was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluster. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

bluster

1 of 2 verb
blus·​ter ˈbləs-tər How to pronounce bluster (audio)
blustered; blustering -t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bluster (audio)
1
: to blow violently and noisily
2
: to talk or act in a noisy boastful way
blusterer noun

bluster

2 of 2 noun
1
: a violent noise or commotion
2
: loudly boastful or threatening speech
blustery adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on bluster

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