as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
a newsreader who memorably dropped a clanger when she referred to Robert Burns as an English poet
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Recent Examples of clanger
In its two most recent games, its goalkeeper, André Onana, has made calamitous clangers, leading to easy goals for the opposition.
—
Alex Tabet, NBC News, 15 Dec. 2024
The veined wing of the clanger cicada kills bacteria solely through its physical structure — one of the first natural surfaces found to do so.
—Trevor Quirk, Scientific American, 5 Mar. 2013
But only new centre back David Luiz has provided clangers in defence in more than one game, losing Ashley Barnes with some schoolboy marking against Burnley before that shirt pull on Mohamed Salah at Anfield.
—SI.com, 7 Sep. 2019
Another game against Chelsea and another clanger for Lloris - this time during the Lilywhites tenure at Wembley.
—SI.com, 30 Sep. 2019
This doesn't stop players from slipping every now and again, or dropping a social clanger or two.
—SI.com, 29 Sep. 2019
This is hardly surprising given the Spaniard's mixed start to life at Anfield, making a clanger while trying to play out from the back which handed Danny Ings a goal in the narrow victory over Southampton.
—SI.com, 3 Sep. 2019
For years the clanger has dangled in the middle, banging against the bell’s iron walls for two states to hear, back and forth from Indiana to Ohio to Indiana to Ohio …
WHERE’S GREGG?
—Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, 3 July 2019
Despite showing solidarity on the pitch, matters were complicated when Bale's agent dropped an inadvertent clanger on local radio, stating the pair didn't get along.
—SI.com, 1 Apr. 2018
Alex Tabet, NBC News, 15 Dec. 2024
The veined wing of the clanger cicada kills bacteria solely through its physical structure — one of the first natural surfaces found to do so.
—Trevor Quirk, Scientific American, 5 Mar. 2013
But only new centre back David Luiz has provided clangers in defence in more than one game, losing Ashley Barnes with some schoolboy marking against Burnley before that shirt pull on Mohamed Salah at Anfield.
—SI.com, 7 Sep. 2019
Another game against Chelsea and another clanger for Lloris - this time during the Lilywhites tenure at Wembley.
—SI.com, 30 Sep. 2019
This doesn't stop players from slipping every now and again, or dropping a social clanger or two.
—SI.com, 29 Sep. 2019
This is hardly surprising given the Spaniard's mixed start to life at Anfield, making a clanger while trying to play out from the back which handed Danny Ings a goal in the narrow victory over Southampton.
—SI.com, 3 Sep. 2019
For years the clanger has dangled in the middle, banging against the bell’s iron walls for two states to hear, back and forth from Indiana to Ohio to Indiana to Ohio …
WHERE’S GREGG?
—Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, 3 July 2019
Despite showing solidarity on the pitch, matters were complicated when Bale's agent dropped an inadvertent clanger on local radio, stating the pair didn't get along.
—SI.com, 1 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clanger
Noun
-
Skull emoji: This emoji is often used to mock someone's mistake or appearance.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
21 July 2025
-
But when mistakes are punished or hidden, innovation stops in its tracks.—
IESE Business School,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
What happened to Josh Friedman isn’t just an HR blunder.—
Chloe Rogers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 July 2025
-
Letting Tommy Kahnle, a reliable arm, walk has turned out to be a massive blunder.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Without a robust knowledge foundation, these early wins can mask serious risks—from compliance breaches to costly decision errors.—
Stéphane Donzé,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
Pilot error caused the crash, according to a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clanger. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
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