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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Recent Examples of faux pas
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, 5 June 2026
Here are six times Hannah and Paige ruthlessly roasted each other's fashion faux pas.
—Caroline Killilea, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Breakfast tacos 101 On another essential Texas matter, Talarico’s meatless taco order reignited the rumors that the Democrat was committing a Texan faux pas.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 29 May 2026
While the bizarre urge to chuck things at rock stars performing music onstage has been around since the advent of, well, rock stars and stages, it’s increasingly frowned upon and widely considered the ultimate concert faux pas.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for faux pas
Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2026
Here are six times Hannah and Paige ruthlessly roasted each other's fashion faux pas.
—Caroline Killilea, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Breakfast tacos 101 On another essential Texas matter, Talarico’s meatless taco order reignited the rumors that the Democrat was committing a Texan faux pas.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 29 May 2026
While the bizarre urge to chuck things at rock stars performing music onstage has been around since the advent of, well, rock stars and stages, it’s increasingly frowned upon and widely considered the ultimate concert faux pas.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for faux pas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faux pas
Noun
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Ahead, cleaning expert Sofia Martinez, CEO and cleaning expert at Sparkly Maid Austin, and Lea Grandin, social media manager and content creator at AspenClean, explain how to use vinegar to clean your oven, plus the common mistakes to avoid.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
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Young people make destructive mistakes and deserve a path back.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2026
Noun
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For Meta, the problem started with what some industry experts called, in hindsight at least, a strategic blunder.—
Jonathan Vanian,Julia Boorstin,
CNBC,
14 June 2026
-
The Spurs fared well in the closing minute, aside from Fox’s blunder, but the attrition from the Knicks offense spreading them out did them in well before then.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
Noun
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Crespi denied the claims, saying a bookkeeping error led to false allegations about her hours and vacation time.—
Tess Riski
June 18,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
-
Marist said the poll's margin of error was ±3 percent.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Faux pas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faux%20pas. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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