as in hype
information released to the media that is designed to gain public attention or support for a person, business, or cause the newspaper's local stories are often thinly disguised puffery for area businesses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of puffery This is where the focused music hall puffery of the production helps. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2024 That conclusion may sound preposterously quaint to some, unwelcome advice to a few, ridiculous puffery or an impossible goal to still others. David Baldacci, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024 Most mentions of Florida were mere puffery, with little indication of what DeSantis intends to accomplish. Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024 When the subject is not the movies but matters of the Middle East, the consequences of this sleight of hand are far graver than some dubious promotional puffery. Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2024 See All Example Sentences for puffery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puffery
Noun
  • Kehlani, however, isn’t buying into the hype.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Nobody nerds out or gets hype like me about savings accounts or life insurance.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • After this publicity around the experiment, MacDougall faced harsh criticism.
    Leah Hudson, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
  • On the extreme, digital accessibility might be seen as purely a compliance issue – a means of adhering to regulations and avoiding lawsuits and bad publicity.
    Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • More Agustin Cuevas/Getty Images This partnership would grant the brand the most valuable advertising locations on the car, as well as branding opportunities on the team apparel and opportunities within hospitality and marketing rights.
    Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Bring Her Back had a production budget of $17 million before prints and advertising, according to The Numbers.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Users can dismiss specific advertisements on the cover screen to ensure they won’t be shown for the ad campaign’s duration, and ads will not display when the cover screen is in Art Mode or showing picture albums.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Disney and Nelson Peltz spent tens of millions of dollars on old-school mailers, phone calls, and advertisements trying to win over individual investors, a large block of the House of Mouse’s shareholder base.
    Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puffery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puffery. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!