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
Pope dropped clangers earlier in the season and weak concessions against Manchester City and Qarabag preceded Everton.
—
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
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
Another game against Chelsea and another clanger for Lloris - this time during the Lilywhites tenure at Wembley.
—SI.com, 30 Sep. 2019
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
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
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
Another game against Chelsea and another clanger for Lloris - this time during the Lilywhites tenure at Wembley.
—SI.com, 30 Sep. 2019
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clanger
Noun
-
And not to trust those results, showing examples of deepfakes, bias and rampant mistakes that will come back to bite if the students rely on the information.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
-
The Chiefs built a dynasty on the back of their ability to overcome their own mistakes.—
Sam McDowell
Updated December 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Read on to see the beauty blunders, silly styling and overall head-to-toe outfits that these stars regret.—
Tanisha Bhat,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
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The base-running blunder by Alcántara, a prospect acquired in the Anthony Rizzo trade with the New York Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, is just one example of how this team is pressing.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Mexico opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Quiñones capitalized on a defensive error by South Africa and fired a shot down the middle, between the legs of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
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If the water tank was destroyed amid the larger US attack in response to the helicopter downing, Ball said the location makes an error in the weapon’s guidance unlikely.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clanger. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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