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
Verb
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The schemes involve a predator pretending to be a teenager online and tricking victims into sending illicit photos of themselves.
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Such techniques typically work by tricking the user into approving a request to approve a device owned by the attacker instead.
Verb
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Of course, attempts to get more revenue out of taxpayers would carry political risks, but voters have been open to squeezing the wealthy.
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Coach Spencer Carbery has done a masterful job of both squeezing what’s left out of the franchise’s best-ever player — Ovechkin led the Caps in both goals (32) and points (64) in 2025-26 — while simultaneously masking the deficiencies that come with age.
Verb
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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.
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The other is fooling humans, particularly the dwindling number of journalists, critics, and other gatekeepers who are still capable of conferring legitimacy by paying attention.
Verb
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And using what looks like a giant pile of gerbil food for half-day cooking projects just feels like cheating.
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The chapters moved from crime rates to cheating teachers to drug dealers living with their mothers, linking unlikely variables with a kind of intellectual mischief that felt almost illicit.
Verb
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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.
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Here, however, the joke is that appearances can be deceiving — or to be more specific, that trying to act like a character in a movie is a reckless, unwise thing to do.
Verb
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As with the studio version, the track began with Lifeson plucking out a delicate intro on a nylon-string guitar before blasting into monster electric riffs.
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Vogue’s beauty shopping editor Kiana Murden became a devotee after plucking it from the beauty closet and using it religiously.
Verb
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The pop singer has been teasing her return to music over the past few weeks with cryptic posts on social media featuring various images accompanied locations, dates and times.
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Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, took over as chief executive of Relativity a little more than a year ago, teasing new areas of focus such as orbital data centers, philanthropic space science ventures, and national security missions.
Verb
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Langford was injured during Friday’s game after hustling on a double.
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Letting go of the idea that success requires hustling at all costs — and replacing it with goals that feel attainable — can help founders shift toward a more sustainable approach, one where progress doesn't come at the cost of their well-being.
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Cite this Entry
“Gaffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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