1
as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaffe
Steyer didn’t have a major gaffe or scandal that torpedoed his campaign.
—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Outfielder Jo Adell was out of the lineup on Wednesday, a day after an embarrassing gaffe when a ball hit his head and went over the fence.
—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
Canseco's misplay – one of the most infamous gaffes in sports history – similarly resulted in a home run for the other team.
—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Piero Hincapie had spent most of the day fighting off jokes from team-mates — Gabriel, in particular — and the wider football community after the gaffe with his shorts against Burnley.
—
Art De Roché,
New York Times,
20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Outfielder Jo Adell was out of the lineup on Wednesday, a day after an embarrassing gaffe when a ball hit his head and went over the fence.
—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
Canseco's misplay – one of the most infamous gaffes in sports history – similarly resulted in a home run for the other team.
—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Piero Hincapie had spent most of the day fighting off jokes from team-mates — Gabriel, in particular — and the wider football community after the gaffe with his shorts against Burnley.
—
Art De Roché,
New York Times,
20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
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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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also fallen foul of Germany’s World Cup elimination by Paraguay, after stumbling into a social media debacle following a communications blunder.
Noun
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Despite the full lineup and passionate patriotic crowd in Seattle, Team USA looked uncomfortable from the start, fell behind early, made sloppy mistakes and could not keep up with the Belgians, who move on to face Spain in the quarterfinals.
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The scribe carefully inscribed each line with a quill made from a goose feather, while their other hand wielded an erasing knife used to sharpen the quill and scrape away any mistakes.
Noun
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Third baseman Ryan McMahon also committed a throwing error, New York's 19th in its last 14 games.
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England is hoping karma is on its side after a famous goal-scoring error sealed a World Cup loss to Argentina 40 years ago at Azteca Stadium.
Noun
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Eventually, Batula moved past Cooke’s indiscretions and married him in 2021.
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History is littered with the careers of politicians who committed crimes or engaged in moral indiscretions and then tried to lie their way out of public shame.
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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