as in hype
information released to the media that is designed to gain public attention or support for a person, business, or cause the newspaper's local stories are often thinly disguised puffery for area businesses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of puffery 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 Most mentions of Florida were mere puffery, with little indication of what DeSantis intends to accomplish. Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024 When the subject is not the movies but matters of the Middle East, the consequences of this sleight of hand are far graver than some dubious promotional puffery. Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2024 This column is dedicated to my late father, Dr. Subhash Jain, a dedicated physician, father, grandfather, and husband who always prioritized the real work of delivering great patient care over hype—and always pushed me to look beyond puffery in the development of my own perspectives. Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 See All Example Sentences for puffery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffery
Noun
  • Flagg and the Blue Devils lived up to the hype and were one of the best four teams in the nation.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • With Sinners, helmed by Black Panther and Creed director Ryan Coogler, set to debut on Friday (April 18), the hype surrounding this limited-edition release is only expected to grow.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In his court filing this week, his defense attorney noted the high-profile publicity of Villatoro Santos's case.
    Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Yet even at the time, the scandal was baked into the publicity.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • If influencers were primarily men, it would be seen as an innovative new career that’s taken over the advertising industry.
    Caitlin Brody, Glamour, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Brinkema dismissed the third part of the case, determining that tools used for general display advertising can’t clearly be defined as Google’s own market.
    Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • This story was updated to include the video advertisement.
    Caché McClay, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Image By the 1980s, his work seemed to be everywhere — in every major magazine, on political and theater posters, in advertisements for corporations and institutions like IBM and the MacArthur Foundation, on book and album covers.
    Penelope Green, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puffery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffery. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!