gaffing

verb

present participle of gaff
1
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
2
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
  1. tricking
  2. squeezing
  3. fooling
  4. cheating
  5. deceiving
  6. plucking
  7. teasing
  8. hustling
Verb
  • In 2020, a group of political operatives working closely with Florida Power and Light sought to derail Rodríguez’s re-election campaign for the Senate by tricking voters into voting for an independent candidate with the same last name.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of tricking
Verb
  • For an octopus, squeezing into tight spaces can provide an escape route and access to prey that other marine creatures cannot easily reach.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Much of the growing opposition to data centers has come from rising electricity prices, which are squeezing Americans in a time of already high prices and cost of living.
    — Shannon Osaka, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • His Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Jessep isn’t fooling anyone with the calculated nonchalance and the propensity for quoting Melville and Shakespeare.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Scammers had been fooling Apple by returning iPhone boxes with the original accessories, internal components, or even the phone itself swapped out.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of fooling
Verb
  • Later on, after the guests have left, this cheating convention makes Kaylee nervous.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026
  • There are people out there saying that the Brewers are cheating.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheating
Verb
  • The first rule of thumb—and a solid piece of advice to live by—is that looks can be deceiving.
    — Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But looks are deceiving in this case – just like the 3X Plus and 3X before it, the trailer stretches out via three individual telescopic segments that emerge at the push of a button.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceiving
Verb
  • According to a case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the doctors gave the man a topical treatment to numb his eyes and then began plucking out the worms one by one with fine forceps.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Pai Skincare Bright Now Exfoliating Toner, $49 Organic is not as simple as plucking some flowers and putting them on your face.
    — Brianna Peters, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of plucking
Verb
  • In September, while teasing what would become vSphere Express, Paul Turner, VCF’s chief product officer, told The Register that Broadcom issued sales incentives that pushed its sales team to sell VCF.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The Grammy winner also teamed up with her friends for a Hairspray group costume, teasing her hair and donning a 1960s-esque dress in a recreation of Amanda Bynes’ character Penny in the 2007 film adaptation of the musical of the same name.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 Nov. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

gaffes
gaffing
gaffs
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Cite this Entry

“Gaffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffing. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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