Synonyms of gaff

gaff 1 of 2

noun

ˈgaf 

1

as in mistake

a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark

you can expect to make some amusing gaffs until you get more familiar with the language

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mistake
• blunder
• offence
• gaffe
• indiscretion
• error
• solecism
• faux pas
• impropriety
• familiarity
• flub
• miscue
• fumble
• misstep
• goof
• offense
• slipup
• discourtesy
• stumble
• slip
• incivility
• lapse
• howler
• misstatement
• miscalculation
• muff
• misjudgment
• oversight
• misconception
• boner
• misunderstanding
• misapprehension
• foul-up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• attention
• gesture
• courtesy
• formality
• civility
• pleasantry
• form
• amenity
• manners
• mores
• proprieties

2

as in blunder

an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy

double-check the new writer's grammar, as it's typically riddled with gaffs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mistake
• blunder
• error
• gaffe
• flub
• fumble
• trip
• inaccuracy
• stumble
• miscue
• brick
• clanger
• misstep
• goof
• bobble
• boob
• slip
• screwup
• slipup
• clinker
• fault
• lapse
• fluff
• oversight
• boo-boo
• blooper
• howler
• pratfall
• snafu
• misunderstanding
• bloomer
• boner
• misstatement
• miscalculation
• misinterpretation
• misjudgment
• misconception
• misconstruction
• misreading
• misdescription
• misapprehension
• miscomprehension
• foul-up
• misimpression

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accuracy
• precision
• correctness
• exactness
• exactitude
• strictness
• perfection
• preciseness
• infallibility
• inerrancy

gaff

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to trick

to cause to believe what is untrue

a sleazy schemer who gaffed gullible people into thinking they could get rich with a money-making opportunity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trick
• fool
• deceive
• bluff
• hoax
• sucker
• kid
• gull
• tease
• sting
• mislead
• dupe
• con
• catch
• spoof
• bamboozle
• humbug
• delude
• gammon
• cheat
• juggle
• misinform
• suck in
• snow
• buffalo
• snooker
• hoodwink
• cozen
• string along
• hornswoggle
• burn
• take in
• misguide
• fake out
• beguile
• do a number on
• have on
• have
• pull one's leg
• stick
• swindle
• pull the wool over one's eyes
• lead one down the garden path
• lead one up the garden path
• put on
• chisel
• rook
• hustle
• skin
• bleed
• defraud
• flimflam
• mulct
• euchre
• diddle
• fleece
• shortchange
• squeeze

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undeceive
• show up
• reveal
• expose
• debunk
• unmask
• uncover
• tell
• divulge
• disclose
• unveil
• disabuse
• disillusion
• uncloak
• disenchant

2

as in to cheat

to rob by the use of trickery or threats

the operators of the traveling carnival had gaffed patrons with a variety of time-honored ruses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cheat
• sting
• pluck
• hustle
• squeeze
• stick
• screw
• beat
• trick
• swindle
• sucker
• bleed
• deceive
• short
• fiddle
• flimflam
• shake down
• con
• chisel
• rook
• ream
• do
• skin
• nobble
• stiff
• defraud
• mulct
• diddle
• euchre
• fleece
• chouse
• hose
• rip off
• cozen
• fool
• skunk
• victimize
• shortchange
• clip
• bilk
• exploit
• take for a ride
• wrench
• nick
• thimblerig
• take to the cleaners
• sell a bill of goods to
• betray
• gouge
• do in
• gull
• extort
• bitch
• dupe
• overcharge
• wring
• double-cross
• wrest
• soak
• milk
• rope (in)
• bamboozle
• fast-talk

Examples of gaff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Here are its scariest safety scandals Some fliers are thinking twice as scandals and gaffs pile up Start Slideshow The world got an uncomfortable reminder about the need to scrutinize air travel last January when a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines flight 16,000 feet over Portland, Oregon. —Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024

Monday, the frontman, 73, recalled the gaff, explaining that he was sent a tune written by the legendary folk-rock singer during the heyday of Lewis' band, Huey Lewis and the News, but never acted on it. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024

But, despite those gaffs, robotics firms pressed on and now several believe their walking machines could work alongside human manufacturing workers in only a few short years. —Popular Science, 29 Feb. 2024

That starts with careful gaff placement to avoid ruining meat. —Tom Fowlks, Outdoor Life, 1 Feb. 2024