n.
Function: verb
Etymology: probably from Dutch bluffen to boast, play a kind of card game
Date: 1791
transitive verb
1 a : to deter or frighten by pretense or a mere show of strength b : DECEIVE c : FEIGN <the catcher bluff ed a throw to first>
2 : to deceive (an opponent) in cards by a bold bet on an inferior hand
intransitive verb : to bluff someone : act deceptively
– bluff · er noun