How to Use gaffe in a Sentence

gaffe

noun
  • He realized that he had committed an awful gaffe when he mispronounced her name.
  • Poehler teased after the gaffe.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Which isn't to say these gaffes always work out for the best.
    — Aaron Traister, Redbook, 23 Apr. 2012
  • But Muller's gaffe could leave them short a man for some time still.
    — SI.com, 19 Aug. 2017
  • There were the two gaffes on the base paths by two players from third base.
    — Brody Miller, NOLA.com, 11 May 2018
  • And will there be any big gaffes that one side can weaponize against the other?
    — Heather Hendershot / Made By History, TIME, 27 June 2024
  • Google is adding tools to fix the gaffe behind many data leaks.
    — John Doerr, WIRED, 24 Apr. 2018
  • The special teams gaffes are too frequent.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The two teams traded special teams gaffes.
    — Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Smart and well-timed, but a gaffe nonetheless.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Of course his still-very-new job on the team was not in any jeopardy over the non-gaffe.
    — Mark Lisanti, Vanities, 4 May 2018
  • There were glitches and gaffes aplenty.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
  • But Louisville had a key gaffe at each end of the floor in the final minute.
    — Brett Dawson, The Courier-Journal, 10 Mar. 2022
  • Biden critics called it a gaffe, but the statement wasn’t a slip of the tongue.
    — Doyle McManuswashington Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2022
  • Swift said that her lack of knowledge led to an awkward gaffe on their first date.
    — Hannah Parry anna Commander sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
  • There were a number of gaffes along the way too, as happens over the course of decades.
    — Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2019
  • But, a base running gaffe bailed the Trojans out of that threat.
    — Lewis Bagley, Indianapolis Star, 8 June 2019
  • After the game, Merrill shrugged off the gaffe as a one-off.
    — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
  • No major gaffes to leave any of the contestants sprawled on the killing floor.
    — Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
  • But these silly gaffes are just a few of the many quirky things that happen behind the scenes.
    — Alisa Wolfson, Country Living, 15 Dec. 2018
  • That meant the Padres were still up when a gaffe in the sixth led to an Angels run.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025
  • Johnson and Smith were amused by the gaffe, but O’Neal was not.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2024
  • Those gaffes cost McAtamney his spot on the roster.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Keller took advantage and scored after two of the gaffes and the third killed a drive in the end zone.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
  • But Boldy made amends for his gaffe leading to the first goal by saving a goal this time around.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
  • In mounting the show, Schuch and her team committed a gaffe of their own.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • New England held on for the win, and Stidham’s gaffe loomed large.
    — Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Video footage of the gaffes suggests otherwise.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Adding to the pressure, DeRosa’s gaffe has taken on a life of its own.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
  • But our pick for the worst Apple gaffe of the decade has to go to the iPhone 4.
    — Christopher Null, Wired, 24 Dec. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gaffe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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