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 ClareyExamples 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
Countless video call gaffes were lost to history during the coronavirus pandemic.
—Katherine Schulten, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
As for their goalie Linus Ullmark, weird goalie gaffe aside, his 21 saves were sufficient for the Senators’ win.
—Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
Still, the contribution was widely viewed internally as a gaffe and has not served the anchor well over his longer tenure at ABC.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Parents have until May 13 to cast their ballots, though the city’s school system could extend that deadline if the gaffes persist.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Katherine Schulten, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
As for their goalie Linus Ullmark, weird goalie gaffe aside, his 21 saves were sufficient for the Senators’ win.
—Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
Still, the contribution was widely viewed internally as a gaffe and has not served the anchor well over his longer tenure at ABC.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Parents have until May 13 to cast their ballots, though the city’s school system could extend that deadline if the gaffes persist.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaffe. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gaffe
noun
: a noticeable mistake especially of manners
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share