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

• blunder
• mistake
• offence
• indiscretion
• error
• gaff

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

Colorado started the second period in similar fashion to the first, but Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar took advantage of a Buffalo gaffe to reclaim the lead. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025

McMillan’s early gaffe highlighted his growing pains as a rookie wide receiver. —Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2025

The Sharks lost 4-3 to the Golden Knights on Thursday as a pair of gaffes by goalie Alex Nedeljkovic allowed Vegas to score late in the third period and early in overtime. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 12 Oct. 2025

Cutting down on defensive gaffes that surely stick out in voters’ minds will vault him into a group with the best rearguards in the sport. —Peter Baugh, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025

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
• graff
• graph
• haff
• half
• laugh
• raff
• staff
• staph
• autograph

Kids Definition

gaffe

noun

ˈgaf 

: a noticeable mistake especially of manners