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
Christopher ClareySynonyms
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
Watching prominent figures reflect on their most embarrassing gaffes and humbling mistakes will inspire you to overcome your own minor (or major) failures.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
But voters are approaching this year's election with misgivings about Mr. Biden's age, having scrutinized his gaffes, his coughing, his slow walking and even a tumble off his bicycle.
—CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
At times, he’s driven his coach to frustration with his gaffes.
—The Indianapolis Star, 27 Jan. 2024
The 49ers have been high on Luter, minus his Super Bowl punt gaffe.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
But after years of delays, failed promises, and on-stage gaffes, the truck finally made it onto the streets and into the hands of drivers.
—Thomas Germain / Gizmodo, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024
The gaffe launched a Twitter account, a return to the Oscars stage for the pair the following year, and even a John Travolta name-generator.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2024
Both candidates are capitalizing on voters’ concerns about their ages to attack each other’s mental fitness, highlighting their opponents’ various gaffes on the campaign trail.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
This Week: Be mindful and aware to avoid accidents, including verbal gaffes.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2024
Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
But voters are approaching this year's election with misgivings about Mr. Biden's age, having scrutinized his gaffes, his coughing, his slow walking and even a tumble off his bicycle.
—CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
At times, he’s driven his coach to frustration with his gaffes.
—The Indianapolis Star, 27 Jan. 2024
The 49ers have been high on Luter, minus his Super Bowl punt gaffe.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
But after years of delays, failed promises, and on-stage gaffes, the truck finally made it onto the streets and into the hands of drivers.
—Thomas Germain / Gizmodo, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024
The gaffe launched a Twitter account, a return to the Oscars stage for the pair the following year, and even a John Travolta name-generator.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2024
Both candidates are capitalizing on voters’ concerns about their ages to attack each other’s mental fitness, highlighting their opponents’ various gaffes on the campaign trail.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
This Week: Be mindful and aware to avoid accidents, including verbal gaffes.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gaffe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gaffe
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaffe. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gaffe
noun
: a noticeable mistake especially of manners
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