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
That time, two special team gaffes gifted the then-No. 7 Ducks a kick return touchdown and a punt return TD, while Dalmas missed a 54-yard field goal.
—
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 Jan. 2025
The night’s most embarrassing gaffe was when Jodie Foster won for True Detective: Night Country.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2025
Trump won the election, and the era of Biden gaffes will come to an end at noon on Jan. 20.
—Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Dec. 2024
To his credit, Severson, 30, sat at his stall in the Blue Jackets dressing room after Monday’s practice in Nationwide Arena and took full ownership of Saturday’s gaffe and his recent struggles.
—Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gaffe 
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 Jan. 2025
The night’s most embarrassing gaffe was when Jodie Foster won for True Detective: Night Country.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2025
Trump won the election, and the era of Biden gaffes will come to an end at noon on Jan. 20.
—Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Dec. 2024
To his credit, Severson, 30, sat at his stall in the Blue Jackets dressing room after Monday’s practice in Nationwide Arena and took full ownership of Saturday’s gaffe and his recent struggles.
—Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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Scientists have long known that DNA-copying systems make the occasional blunder—that’s how cancers often start—but only in recent years has technology been sensitive enough to catalog every genetic booboo.—
Amber Dance,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Jan. 2025
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The blunder occurred during the triple toss-up round on Thursday, January 16.—
Aaron Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Daniel Weiner, the director of government and elections at the Brennan Center for Justice, said the legal deadlines were set in part so that there would be time to make revisions before the Electoral Votes were cast in the event of a mistake or legal challenge.—
Daniel Desrochers,
Kansas City Star,
22 Jan. 2025
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That portrays the Court as an institution that has made historic mistakes on citizenship and need not be trusted as the sole authority on the meaning of the Constitution.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
The New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The German hit 12 unforced errors in the set as too many of his forehands skewed off his racket at the wrong angle and out of the court.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
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Keys broke three times in the first set, helped in part by Sabalenka’s four double-faults and 13 total unforced errors.—
Howard Fendrich,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Hegseth, however, has the support of some veterans’ groups that say his past indiscretions are not as important as getting in the job someone who will focus on improving military readiness to fight.—
Tara Copp,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Jan. 2025
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The caveat is that yours are coming out to play today and other people are able to sweep their indiscretions under the rug.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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About two minutes before his gaff, Connor Bedard scored a power-play goal (Martin Pospíšil had committed a boarding major against Taylor Hall) to help the Hawks draw within 4-2.—
Phil Thompson,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2025
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Some of the gear commonly used for technical climbing, like gaffs—steel spikes worn on the legs for added grip on the tree trunk when cutting branches—can also cause inadvertent damage to the tallest trees.—
Jayme Moye,
Outside Online,
7 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near gaffe
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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