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
The errors have ranged from relatively minor pronunciation gaffes to significant changes to story content, like misattributing or inventing quotes and inserting commentary, such as interpreting a source’s quotes as the paper’s position on an issue.
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Max Tani, semafor.com, 11 Dec. 2025
As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the gaffes were still there, though the blame doesn’t seem to be solely on the streamer.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
The disgraced outgoing mayor of New York City is a big personality in a position of power with numerous scandals and gaffes for Fumudoh to prod at in her signature affably combative style.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Despite the game-ending gaffe, Schakel had a strong day, completing 43 of 63 passes for 451 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
—Alex Valdes, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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But when her latest husband, discord spirit Raksh, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina must clean up his blunder, contend with Marjana’s demands for the truth…and figure out who on her crew is plotting a mutiny.—
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Williamson County based Ramsey Solutions has also come up with an effective guide to avoid any regifting blunders.—
Noun
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While rebounding kept the Horned Frogs in the game early, the offense finally picked up until the mistakes piled up down the stretch.—
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Let’s look back on 2025 fantasy misses to look forward and avoid making the signature mistake of each whiff come the 2026 draft season.—
Noun
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The federal government primarily finances supplemental food benefits, but the state’s share is determined, in part, by its management, as indicated by its rate of error when determining people’s eligibility.—
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The research depended on computer simulations, which meant that tiny adjustments to the initial state of the digital fluid (or any digital rounding errors) wouldn’t affect the fluid’s fate.—
Noun
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Once there, however, Rhoda discovers more than Max’s indiscretions.—
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But Clinton’s ties to the Epstein case are a reminder of how his political promise has always been tempered by personal indiscretions.—
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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