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
Christopher ClareyExamples 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
Before that, a colossal puckhandling gaffe by Woll got the Kings on the board.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Miller’s third save in three tries followed Adrian Morejón blowing his second one-run lead of the season, this time with help from a defensive gaffe.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
His portrayal of academic life will leave real professors wincing, if not giggling … Despite the obvious research that Martel put into his novel, there are too many gaffes about Homer and Greek epic to persuade any expert.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
Last Saturday alone, there were multiple gaffes.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
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Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Miller’s third save in three tries followed Adrian Morejón blowing his second one-run lead of the season, this time with help from a defensive gaffe.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
His portrayal of academic life will leave real professors wincing, if not giggling … Despite the obvious research that Martel put into his novel, there are too many gaffes about Homer and Greek epic to persuade any expert.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
Last Saturday alone, there were multiple gaffes.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaffe. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gaffe
noun
: a noticeable mistake especially of manners
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