as in mistake
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
according to an oft-told story, the queen set a guest at ease about a faux pas by politely imitating it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of faux pas
Seeing the response to Benedict’s faux pas, asking Sophie to be his mistress.
—
Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Mar. 2026
They were then told or shown photos that gave them a sense of how the person who made the faux pas reacted.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Read Megan Feringa’s story for more on the football faux pas.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Yet, the number of travel faux pas tourists make while strolling the streets of Milan, meandering through ancient ruins in Athens, or cruising around the Mediterranean remains pretty high, considering the increase in visits to Europe's major cities.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for faux pas
Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Mar. 2026
They were then told or shown photos that gave them a sense of how the person who made the faux pas reacted.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Read Megan Feringa’s story for more on the football faux pas.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Yet, the number of travel faux pas tourists make while strolling the streets of Milan, meandering through ancient ruins in Athens, or cruising around the Mediterranean remains pretty high, considering the increase in visits to Europe's major cities.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for faux pas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faux pas
Noun
-
However, this approach is a mistake.—
Kat Tretina,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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But fans, players and teams have grown less patient with mistakes that technology can easily fix.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Milwaukee challenged the play, and the replay clearly showed Bauers stepped on first, causing another blunder for Bucknor.—
Jason Ounpraseuth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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In the second inning, well before his ninth-inning blunder, Burger fumbled an infield pop-up from García with two outs.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Wait times are based on data reported by users and are not exact or error-free.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
But the Barons got the final out on a base running error by the Sea Kings.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Faux pas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faux%20pas. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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