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

• familiarity
• faux pas
• gaff
• impropriety
• indiscretion
• solecism

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

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

Biden's four years in office were marred with gaffes that resulted in some scrutiny regarding his mental fitness and ability to serve a second term. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025

Though hopes for peace rose after Trump took office, recent diplomatic gaffes have sent them plummeting. —Tom Bell, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 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