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

Outfielder Jo Adell was out of the lineup on Wednesday, a day after an embarrassing gaffe when a ball hit his head and went over the fence. —Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 4 June 2026

Canseco's misplay – one of the most infamous gaffes in sports history – similarly resulted in a home run for the other team. —Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026

Piero Hincapie had spent most of the day fighting off jokes from team-mates — Gabriel, in particular — and the wider football community after the gaffe with his shorts against Burnley. —Art De Roché, New York Times, 20 May 2026

It was so well presented with countless references to viral moments and gaffes. —Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 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