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
George Caulkin, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Like the band's music, the show's script reflects how Thornton's cadence and rhythm as an actor allow for quiet, expressive moments and blustering ad-libs that often carry the power of the statements or circumstances that dominate a scene.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 15 Nov. 2024
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2025
The results, which are beautifully austere, flooded by sunlight but somehow cold, infuriate Van Buren, played with a masculine bluster by Guy Pearce, who sounds as if his idea of the Breakfast of Champions was a bowl of ground glass drowned in whole milk.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
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Verb
By the end, Arsenal had blustered and bludgeoned their way to 23 shots, but only three of them were on target.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Like the band's music, the show's script reflects how Thornton's cadence and rhythm as an actor allow for quiet, expressive moments and blustering ad-libs that often carry the power of the statements or circumstances that dominate a scene.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 15 Nov. 2024
Noun
Most of the psychological handwringing is thus offloaded to Garner, who proves that her terrified facial expressions are truly top shelf, and the switch of perspectives is an interesting pivot from the usual how-do-I-tame-my-inner-predator bluster.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2025
The results, which are beautifully austere, flooded by sunlight but somehow cold, infuriate Van Buren, played with a masculine bluster by Guy Pearce, who sounds as if his idea of the Breakfast of Champions was a bowl of ground glass drowned in whole milk.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bluster
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Dictionary Entries Near bluster
Cite this Entry
“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluster. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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