fluff one's feathers

verb

To show off.

Similar
cut a wide swathstrut one's stuffpreenswaggeraura farmboulevardiercut it fatcut round
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbfluff one's feathers (third-person singular simple present fluffs one's feathers, present participle fluffing one's feathers, simple past and past participle fluffed one's feathers)

present singular third person fluffs one's feathers · participle present fluffing one's feathers · participle past fluffed one's feathers · past fluffed one's feathers

  1. To show off.

    He knew, though, that the man wasn't thinking of violence. Instead, he was fluffing his feathers for Thessa and doing a little blustering dance.

    2014, Liz Tyner, A Captain and a Rogue, page 72

    Synonyms: cut a wide swath, strut one's stuff, preen, swagger, aura farm, boulevardier, cut a wide swath, cut it fat

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo show off.

Similar
cut a wide swathstrut one's stuffpreenswaggeraura farmboulevardiercut a wide swathcut it fatcut roundexhibitionizefigure awayflamboastflauntflexflossgalleryhigh-sidelet one's nuts hangostent
Also see
aura farmboulevardiercut a wide swathcut roundexhibitionizefigure awayflamboastflauntflexflossgalleryhigh-sideostentostentatepreenshow awayshowboatshow offstrutstrut one's stuffstuntswaggerswag it outswankvenditateyaya
Cite this entry
APA

fluff one's feathers. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fluff%20one's%20feathers

MLA

“fluff one's feathers.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fluff%20one's%20feathers. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fluff one's feathers,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fluff%20one's%20feathers.

Source: fluff one's feathers on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.