1
as in rhetoric
boastful speech or writing
all the bluster in the campaign speech was intended to hide a lack of specifics
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2
as in roar
loud, confused, and usually inharmonious sound
I can't work with all the bluster in here
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3
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
a mayor who got things done without a lot of bluster and self-serving publicity
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as in to huff
to talk loudly and wildly
the rude customer blustered and yelled threats about lawsuits, but eventually left
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of bluster
Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2024
The officer’s bluster is even more pathetic in the face of what all these guys have had to endure.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for bluster 
Noun
On Tuesday, polling places in Illinois will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and prospective voters may find the Election Day weather an adequate reflection of the bluster of the campaigns from the White House to the county courthouse.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2024
The officer’s bluster is even more pathetic in the face of what all these guys have had to endure.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for bluster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluster
Noun
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The rhetoric on social media following that – that murder is extraordinarily alarming.CBS News, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2024
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The steep slide that month came as Fed rhetoric was perceived as too hawkish for comfort, coinciding with concerns over tariff impacts.Michael Santoli, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Jackson ran onto the stage — and later took her final bows — to roars of applause.Rachel Treisman, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024
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Then came the roar of approval for the Rare Beauty founder and her record producer fiance.Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For all the commotion around Arsenal’s set-plays, it’s been forgotten that Everton are actually pretty good at them too.Oli Gamp, The Athletic, 14 Dec. 2024
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Trading Range for the 10-Year Treasury Yield For all the recent commotion, the 10-year Treasury yield bounces between 3.3% and 5%, with an even narrower 3.6% to 4.7% range recently.Brett Owens, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Pad see ew huffed with smokiness, the wok hei seared so deeply into the wide noodles that its potency could withstand even the indignities of carryout containers.Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2024
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The guardian huffed and slammed the door shut, but a moment later, metal clunked, and the door was opened.Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 12 June 2024
Noun
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These new movies offer a new kind of spectacle, one that’s not just a matter of audiovisual bombast but that inheres in cinematic form, becomes part of a film’s narrative architecture, and creates a distinctive psychological relationship with viewers.Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2024
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But from the outside, such moments can get drowned out by the daily buffet of Trump’s outrageous bombast.Philip Eliott / Detroit, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The decoy did make a noticeable clicking noise when spinning.Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 19 Dec. 2024
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An example of this includes better processing of cybersecurity data by separating signal from noise.Eric Sydell, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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And back in 1993, biologist J.R Callahan caused a stir by reporting that as many as 30 species of squirrel could be preying on smaller creatures: namely, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and the occasional small mammal.Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 Dec. 2024
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Hot chocolate is just a stir away with these Chocolatey Dipped Spoons.Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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There were no pretensions of showmanship, no displays of braggadocio — just the hollow ringing of palms on goatskin.Taran Dugal, Rolling Stone, 16 Dec. 2024
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Its lyrics dabble in and dart out of classic rap tropes; braggadocio has its situational benefits, but so does investigating and upending the inequities and insecurities that draw the behavior out.Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluster. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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