1
as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl
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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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Recent Examples of gaffe
Actors from Reiner’s movies gathered onstage — although the camera didn’t catch their faces, a sadly clumsy gaffe.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2026
Miss Manners is not aware of this being a specifically American gaffe.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
Adding to the pressure, DeRosa’s gaffe has taken on a life of its own.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Rather than be ostracized for a blocking gaffe in the 2023 team’s overtime loss in the Super Bowl, Burford worked toward becoming a swing tackle, then replaced Bartch at left guard.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2026
Miss Manners is not aware of this being a specifically American gaffe.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
Adding to the pressure, DeRosa’s gaffe has taken on a life of its own.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Rather than be ostracized for a blocking gaffe in the 2023 team’s overtime loss in the Super Bowl, Burford worked toward becoming a swing tackle, then replaced Bartch at left guard.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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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
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There were almost too many mistakes to count.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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Getting your taxes done early can help reduce stress, avoid last-minute mistakes, and give you more time to fix any issues, such as missing forms or incorrect personal information.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Kody Clemens scored on an error by five-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Salvador Perez in the second, and Byron Buxton added a sacrifice fly off John Schreiber in the eighth, before the Twins teed off against Royals reliever Steven Cruz in the ninth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Angels center fielder Mike Trout dropped a Kelly fly ball for a two-base error.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The most successful and lucrative family vlogs are indiscreet almost by definition—and yet the wrong kind of indiscretion can derail the whole gravy train.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
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An investigation into accusations of corporate indiscretion by Jeff Shell will make or break the future of the Paramount executive.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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