1
as in blunders
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
you can expect to make some amusing gaffs until you get more familiar with the language
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mistakes
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
double-check the new writer's grammar, as it's typically riddled with gaffs
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in tricks
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stings
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaffs
Timia Cobb,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cockfighting draws scrutiny, too, with homes searched for steroids or gaffs — the sharp blades that get strapped to a fighting rooster’s feet.
—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
Spurs on some of the chickens were cut excessively short to fit steel fighting gaffs and blades for more lethal fighting, deputies said.
—
Timia Cobb,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cockfighting draws scrutiny, too, with homes searched for steroids or gaffs — the sharp blades that get strapped to a fighting rooster’s feet.
—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffs
Noun
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Sometimes this was committed to good, such as the Marshall Plan and the Peace Corps, and sometimes to ill, as in a series of military blunders meant to quash godless Communism.
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Colorado's rally offset a pair of baserunning blunders that ended the eighth.
Noun
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Acknowledging and even criticizing our mistakes of the past doesn’t cheapen one’s love for the United States.
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You are allowed to make three mistakes but fail a fourth time and the game ends with the answers being revealed.
Verb
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Cthulhu, who tricks the Minions into releasing his friends from purgatory.
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Removing fading flowers and their seed pods tricks the plant to redirect its energy from producing seeds to producing more scapes and flower buds, as well as putting energy into root development and storing energy for the next growing season.
Verb
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Considering Dylan Holloway was that pick, and the Oilers haven’t found much in any round of all the drafts since, the irony stings for fans of the team.
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If feedback stings, breathe, then ask one clarifying question so everyone understands your intent.
Noun
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Or all the times Republicans went after former President Joe Biden’s gaffes?
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Canseco's misplay – one of the most infamous gaffes in sports history – similarly resulted in a home run for the other team.
Noun
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Tigers rookies Hao-Yu Lee and Kevin McGonigle drove in two runs apiece after errors by third baseman José Caballero and left fielder Cody Bellinger.
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The Giants used three infield hits and two errors to score a pair of runs against Sale in the sixth inning, then Matt Chapman’s double set up Luis Arraez’s sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Verb
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Runway, Pika, and a dozen others can produce footage that fools the eye on first watch.
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What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be.
Verb
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Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.
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Though Lesnar rarely cheats to win, Femi isn’t going to lose clean.
Cite this Entry
“Gaffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffs. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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