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puffery
noun
puff·ery
ˈpə-f(ə-)rē
: exaggerated commendation especially for promotional purposes : hype
Examples of puffery in a Sentence
the newspaper's local stories are often thinly disguised puffery for area businesses
Recent Examples on the Web
The defense also has claimed that prosecutors are casting commonplace entrepreneurial puffery as a crime and singling out Watson, a Black founder in a tech world where African American executives have been disproportionately few.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 June 2024
But overall, there should be a substantial amount of sizzle — or at least copious amounts of hot air and puffery — coming from next week’s upfront presentations.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 10 May 2024
This is where the focused music hall puffery of the production helps.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2024
That conclusion may sound preposterously quaint to some, unwelcome advice to a few, ridiculous puffery or an impossible goal to still others.
—David Baldacci, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1731, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near puffery
Cite this Entry
“Puffery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puffery. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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