1
as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
so-called debates, which seemed to be mainly about seeing which candidate made the most gaffes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaffe
Piero Hincapie had spent most of the day fighting off jokes from team-mates — Gabriel, in particular — and the wider football community after the gaffe with his shorts against Burnley.
—
Art De Roché, New York Times, 20 May 2026
It was so well presented with countless references to viral moments and gaffes.
—Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Granted, Becerra has had a hard week, with a gaffe with a reporter that went viral and a plea deal by a former aide in that case of money misappropriated from his dormant campaign account.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
There were glitches and gaffes aplenty.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Art De Roché, New York Times, 20 May 2026
It was so well presented with countless references to viral moments and gaffes.
—Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Granted, Becerra has had a hard week, with a gaffe with a reporter that went viral and a plea deal by a former aide in that case of money misappropriated from his dormant campaign account.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
There were glitches and gaffes aplenty.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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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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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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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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As each flaw and error in the early development of vaccines became clear, researchers and practitioners responded, fixing problems as they were identified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Democratic leaders seem determined not to allow anything to get in the way of winning Maine’s Senate seat, even if that requires willful blindness toward Platner’s lengthening record of indiscretions.—
Shannon A. Mullen,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
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Ultimately though, Johnson was undone by his own indiscretions.—
Inaya Folarin Iman,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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