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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaffe
While speaking at Harvard, the former president made a gaffe and had to be corrected by his longtime adviser Mike Donilon, who is a resident fellow at the school, according to The Harvard Crimson.
—
Amie Parnes, The Hill, 19 Apr. 2025
That’s too long for anyone, even a champion of rhetorical rope-a-dope, to go without gaffes—which was part of the point.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Countless video call gaffes were lost to history during the coronavirus pandemic.
—Katherine Schulten, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Amie Parnes, The Hill, 19 Apr. 2025
That’s too long for anyone, even a champion of rhetorical rope-a-dope, to go without gaffes—which was part of the point.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Countless video call gaffes were lost to history during the coronavirus pandemic.
—Katherine Schulten, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
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
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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Choosing smoothies low in protein and fiber, adding sugary ingredients to your smoothie, and using low-calorie smoothies as meal replacements are just some of the smoothie mistakes that could be sabotaging your weight loss efforts.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
3 June 2025
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The teenager from India, under pressure throughout much of the game, capitalized on a rare mistake from the Norwegian veteran to seize victory.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 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 10 Jun. 2025.
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