1
as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl
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2
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
so-called debates, which seemed to be mainly about seeing which candidate made the most gaffes
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Recent Examples of gaffe
As for their goalie Linus Ullmark, weird goalie gaffe aside, his 21 saves were sufficient for the Senators’ win.
—
Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
Still, the contribution was widely viewed internally as a gaffe and has not served the anchor well over his longer tenure at ABC.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Parents have until May 13 to cast their ballots, though the city’s school system could extend that deadline if the gaffes persist.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
Biden's four years in office were marred with gaffes that resulted in some scrutiny regarding his mental fitness and ability to serve a second term.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
Still, the contribution was widely viewed internally as a gaffe and has not served the anchor well over his longer tenure at ABC.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Parents have until May 13 to cast their ballots, though the city’s school system could extend that deadline if the gaffes persist.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
Biden's four years in office were marred with gaffes that resulted in some scrutiny regarding his mental fitness and ability to serve a second term.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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Viewers speculated whether this was a blunder, power play or something else.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
27 May 2025
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Many of the nation’s biggest military blunders occurred because there wasn’t enough diversity in the armed forces.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
26 May 2025
Noun
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Playing in the first group, Wong birdied the second hole and made up for his lone mistake (a bogey on No. 3) with birdies at seven and 11 to maintain a slim lead.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
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On one hand, speed always enables Chinese players to adapt faster and, if necessary, correct mistakes faster.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Only one major-league third baseman, the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado, has more errors than Muncy’s eight through his first 49 games of the season.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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The poll of 1,136 Democrats carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.89 percentage points.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Noun
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And any Catholic who has made a confession to a priest knows that what is said in confession stays in confession, unlike a problematic yet pivotal indiscretion that happens in the movie.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2025
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Swiatek is also someone who comes across as eager to please, and her discomfort at the indiscretion, and the resulting perceptions of her, has been obvious.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Transport boxes, electronic scales and gaffs, sharp blades that can be attached to roosters' legs during fights, were found on the property, the news statement said.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2025
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Anglers need both an angling license and a recreational turtle license to harvest turtles using angling gear like hook and line, landing nets and gaff hooks.—
Kay Johnson,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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