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
Canseco's misplay – one of the most infamous gaffes in sports history – similarly resulted in a home run for the other team.
—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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Colorado's rally offset a pair of baserunning blunders that ended the eighth.
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One Republican senator calling this the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.
Noun
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That ended his day after five innings of one-run ball, with just one mistake — a slider that Manny Machado clobbered for a solo homer — against him.
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Will this turn into a tragic mistake Daemon soon regrets?
Noun
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With Yerry De los Santos also fumbling a bunt in the eighth, the Yanks tallied a season-high four errors on the night.
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Michael Conforto, Alex Bregman and Ian Happ had RBI hits in the sixth, when the Cubs’ runs were unearned thanks to a pair of errors.
Noun
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Eventually, Batula moved past Cooke’s indiscretions and married him in 2021.
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History is littered with the careers of politicians who committed crimes or engaged in moral indiscretions and then tried to lie their way out of public shame.
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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