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Glite Dictionary
to bluff out

to bluff out

1 7.5
To make an opponent give up by pretending you have more power
  • phrasal verb
  • /blʌf aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : desalentar
  • Don't bluff out your competitors in the market!

Examples

  • He tried to bluff out the other bidders, pretending he had a higher offer.

  • He bluffed out his opponents during the poker game.

  • She managed to bluff out her opponent in the final round of poker.

  • The negotiator hoped to bluff out the competition by exaggerating her company's resources.

  • In a tense poker game, she decided to bluff out her opponent by raising the stakes dramatically.

  • He was trying to bluff out the competition with exaggerated claims about his performance.

  • To secure the deal, they attempted to bluff out the rival firm by showing an inflated confidence in their product.

Synonyms

to bluff
vsto bluff out
101 5.6

To try to trick someone by showing false strength

aims specifically to make an opponent withdraw from competition
to pull a fast one on
vsto bluff out
  • Informal
5 8.1

To trick someone to gain an advantage

targets gaining advantage generally not specifically making opponents withdraw
to snooker
vsto bluff out
  • UK
3 8.8

To trick someone so they cannot succeed

focuses on forcing withdrawal by seeming stronger rather than blocking success

Antonyms

to reveal
84 7.4

Make hidden truth known by a god or spirit

How Deceptive

to deceive
270 3.9
to dupe
58 6.4
to bluff out
  • Informal
1 7.5
to mislead
87 3.9

Surface Forms

bluff out infinitive
bluffed out past
bluffed out past participle
bluffing out present participle
bluffs out third person singular

Morphology

bluff + out

The sense 'to deceive an opponent into withdrawing' is directly derivable from combining 'bluff' (to feign strength) with the particle 'out' (which often indicates forcing someone out or causing removal). This verb+particle compositional pattern is regular in English and a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Bluff out comes from card games like poker, where a player would bluff by pretending to have a strong hand to push an opponent out and make them fold or give up. So today it means 'to trick an opponent into giving up by pretending to be stronger'.