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
Marshall took the gaffe in stride, a graciousness made easier by his stature on the team and within the league.
—Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
The Jayhawks’ starting pitcher, Cooper Moore, surrendered a two-out walk, and North Dakota State followed by scoring runs on a double and single (aided by the aforementioned fielding gaffes).
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2025
Two decades later, the street anthem is once again delighting music fans, though through a relatively unlikely conduit: a TikTok meme about dating gaffes.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 May 2025
But after the Brewers tied the game on a solo shot by Jake Bauers in the third, Rafaela nearly derailed a Red Sox rally in the following inning with a brutal baserunning gaffe.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
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Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
The Jayhawks’ starting pitcher, Cooper Moore, surrendered a two-out walk, and North Dakota State followed by scoring runs on a double and single (aided by the aforementioned fielding gaffes).
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2025
Two decades later, the street anthem is once again delighting music fans, though through a relatively unlikely conduit: a TikTok meme about dating gaffes.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 May 2025
But after the Brewers tied the game on a solo shot by Jake Bauers in the third, Rafaela nearly derailed a Red Sox rally in the following inning with a brutal baserunning gaffe.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 May 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 23 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gaffe
noun
: a noticeable mistake especially of manners
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