GAFFING Synonyms: 111 Similar and Opposite Words

gaffing

verb

present participle of gaff

as in tricking

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in squeezing

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffing

Verb

The top-performing red teamer on the original Arena was a lawyer from Melbourne who just happened to be good at tricking models into jumping their guardrails.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
RatHat relies heavily on tricking someone into installing a malicious Android app and approving powerful permissions.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of tricking

Verb

The remarks followed the release of strong quarterly results, with revenue and earnings beating analysts’ expectations despite a 6% downturn in revenue due to pressure squeezing all broadband purveyors.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.

— , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

In the highlight, Marshall retrieves the ball and oddly fires it back to the infield, fooling no one.

— Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Anybody hoping that a Netanyahu defeat in October and the emergence of a less controversial successor will reset the table is likely fooling themselves.

— Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of fooling

Verb

With all respect to West’s previous cheating-on-television canon, War might be his finest adulterous work.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
Wood was vindicated three years later, when a league investigation revealed the Astros had been cheating in 2017, stealing signs from a television monitor next to the dugout and relaying them to batters by banging on trash cans.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheating

Verb

Looking at wins and losses is useful and necessary, but often deceiving as to which team is better.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
But 3-0 marks can be deceiving heading into a battle of unbeatens at home against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of deceiving

Verb

Getting up from their seats backstage at Bear Shadow, Pandolfi and Falco head over to meet up with the other three Dusters who are plucking a few notes on their instruments under a large maple tree behind the stage.

— Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2026
Upending global trade, plucking a dictator out of Caracas, escalating to full-on war with Iran, shredding alliances, courting despots — the major twists and turns of this administration never end.

— Kate Andrews, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of plucking

Verb

After teasing the collab on their respective social channels earlier this week, the two have officially released their 37-piece collection—consisting of knits, jackets, and pants—in stores and online worldwide today.

— Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 23 Oct. 2026
Chris Pratt is teasing his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to reprise his role as Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of teasing

Verb

That urgency has marked Holden’s prolific output—especially the thrilling first installment of his Supreme Magnetic series in 2025 and 2022’s Joe Frog—as the Harlem rapper uses his street-hustling past to paint an autobiographical portrait.

— Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
The 30-second teaser sees Jackson hustling around town, making money and recruiting his team of crooks.

— Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of hustling

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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gaffes

gaffing

gaffs

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“Gaffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffing. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of gaffing

verb

Example Sentences

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