Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To blow in loud, violent gusts, as the wind during a storm.
  • intransitive verb To speak in a loudly arrogant or bullying manner.
  • intransitive verb To brag or make loud, empty threats.
  • intransitive verb To force or bully with swaggering threats.
  • noun A violent, gusty wind.
  • noun Turbulence or noisy confusion.
  • noun Loud, arrogant speech, often full of empty threats.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To roar and be tumultuous, as wind; blow boisterously: as, the storm blusters without.
  • To be loud, noisy, or swaggering; swagger, as a turbulent or boasting person; utter loud empty menaces or protests.
  • [Only in ME.; perhaps a different word. Cf. LG. blustern, blistern, flutter in alarm.] To wander or run about aimlessly.
  • To compel or force by mere bluster.
  • To utter with bluster, or with noise and violence: generally with out or forth.
  • noun The noise of a storm or of violent wind; a blast; a gust.
  • noun A boisterous blast, or loud tumultuous noise.
  • noun Noisy but empty talk or menace; swagger; boisterous self-assertion.
  • noun Synonyms Turbulence, boasting, bragging, bullying.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To blow fitfully with violence and noise, as wind; to be windy and boisterous, as the weather.
  • intransitive verb To talk with noisy violence; to swagger, as a turbulent or boasting person; to act in a noisy, tumultuous way; to play the bully; to storm; to rage.
  • noun Fitful noise and violence, as of a storm; violent winds; boisterousness.
  • noun Noisy and violent or threatening talk; noisy and boastful language.
  • transitive verb To utter, or do, with noisy violence; to force by blustering; to bully.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Pompous, officious talk.
  • noun A gust of wind.
  • noun Fitful noise and violence.
  • verb To speak or protest loudly.
  • verb To act or speak in an unduly threatening manner.
  • verb To blow in strong or sudden gusts.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a swaggering show of courage
  • noun a violent gusty wind
  • verb blow hard; be gusty, as of wind
  • noun vain and empty boasting
  • verb show off
  • verb act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner
  • noun noisy confusion and turbulence

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English blusteren, from Middle Low German blüsteren.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle Low German blüstren ("to blow violently")

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