gaffe

noun

ˈgaf 

1

: a social or diplomatic blunder

committed an embarrassing gaffe when he mispronounced her name

2

: a noticeable mistake

Kwan did not fall today, as she had in Friday's short program, a gaffe that left her in fourth place.

—Christopher Clarey

Synonyms

• familiarity
• faux pas
• gaff
• impropriety
• indiscretion
• solecism

Examples of gaffe in a Sentence

He realized that he had committed an awful gaffe when he mispronounced her name.

committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl

Recent Examples on the Web

And those gaffes are pointed out in front of the whole team, even if they are committed by esteemed leaders. —Mike Jones, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025

Other social media users were also concerned about Hegseth’s gaffe. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 15 Jan. 2025

Biden’s battle against Trump ahead of the general election did not help his approval rating, with observers taking note of a poor debate performance and public appearance riddled with gaffes, silences and verbal miscues. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025

The president's gaffes have become a focal point for criticism from Republicans, particularly following his reelection-campaign ending debate performance against Donald Trump in June. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, probably a sense development of gaffe gaff entry 1

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gaffe

noun

ˈgaf 

: a noticeable mistake especially of manners