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
  • What’s far more eloquent is the episode with the witch Circe (a terrific Samantha Morton), whose habit of tricking and transforming men into animals is rendered in evocatively physical, body-horror-esque imagery.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 July 2026
  • From there Nebula chained a handful of steps to escalate the dangling pointer into full control, ending by tricking the kernel into executing their code as root.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026
Definition of tricking
Verb
  • McGurk argued that, if the return of the hostages was the only way to end the war, then publicly squeezing Israel to protect civilians could paradoxically prolong the fighting, resulting in more Palestinian deaths.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • De la Fuente’s forwards press aggressively, while centre-backs Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte hold a high defensive line, squeezing the pitch and pinning their opponents back.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • Throughout all the commotion, Romelu Lukaku acted as decoy, holding on to the ball, fooling everyone, including the TV producer, who pulled up a graphic showing his recent penalty record.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026
  • Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Definition of fooling
Verb
  • The rumors of cheating with addresses and recruiting players have run rampant, but many schools do it.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026
  • The story of a cheating husband's double life racked up more than 23 million views in its first month, reaching the top ten in 62 countries, including the US, and the number one spot in almost two dozen countries.
    — Kate Bartlett, NPR, 24 July 2026
Definition of cheating
Verb
  • Those figures, though, are a bit deceiving; infant and childhood mortality dragged them down dramatically.
    — Adam Cohen, Oklahoman, 30 June 2026
  • Appearance, though, can be deceiving, but luckily, this shed is still packed with smart features and a clever design that will keep all your belongings safe.
    — Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 29 June 2026
Definition of deceiving
Verb
  • The fact that celebrity landed upon him, plucking him from the obscurity of his mission to represent the burgeoning discourse on the disease, says more about the world that orbited him than his actions on the island or his own political nous.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Unlike a razor, which simply cuts hair at the surface, an epilator removes it from the root by mechanically plucking multiple hairs at once.
    — Iman Balagam, Vogue, 17 July 2026
Definition of plucking
Verb
  • Suddenly, the same kids who had been teasing me were instead begging for the next chapter.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • In the meantime, some teams, such as the Senators, are teasing creative ways of releasing their season schedule.
    — Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of teasing
Verb
  • These slim-fit mid-rise joggers look perfect for hustling around a busy airport, but are also stylish enough to wear while sightseeing.
    — Kaitlin Gates, Travel + Leisure, 10 July 2026
  • Langford was injured during Friday’s game after hustling on a double.
    — Cal Phillips June 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 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 26 Jul. 2026.

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