gaffe

noun

ˈgaf 

1

: a social or diplomatic blunder

committed an embarrassing gaffe when he mispronounced her name

2

: a noticeable mistake

Kwan did not fall today, as she had in Friday's short program, a gaffe that left her in fourth place.

—Christopher Clarey

Synonyms of gaffe

• blunder
• mistake
• error
• indiscretion

Examples of gaffe in a Sentence

He realized that he had committed an awful gaffe when he mispronounced her name.

committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl

Recent Examples on the Web

The Democrat, who supports Jackson, thinks there’s wisdom in trying to avoid gaffes that distract from Collins. — Julia Terruso, Time, 26 Oct. 2026

Commenters seem amused by the apparent gaffe and have chosen to convey their feelings through a plethora of puns, jokes and memes. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

New York is getting roasted for an awkward giveaway T-shirt gaffe, made funnier by the team proudly posting the evidence on social media. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

The Cougars then committed back-to-back special teams gaffes that let the Irish back in the game. — John Coon, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, probably a sense development of gaffe gaff entry 1

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gaffe

• calf
• chaff
• gaff
• graf
• graff
• graph
• haff
• half
• laugh
• raff
• staff
• staph

Kids Definition

gaffe

noun

ˈgaf 

: a noticeable mistake especially of manners