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
It was widely regarded as a once-in-a-generation gaffe.
—
Joshua Hunt, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Republican Steve Hershey, the state Senate minority leader, paused when a Sun reporter told him Tuesday about the gaffe.
—Jeff Barker, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
Her predecessor, Geoff Morrell, was unpopular internally and connected to several gaffes that didn’t help Chapek’s rocky time at the helm.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … DIGITAL'S NEWS QUIZ — Where did AOC commit gaffes on global stage?
—FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Joshua Hunt, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Republican Steve Hershey, the state Senate minority leader, paused when a Sun reporter told him Tuesday about the gaffe.
—Jeff Barker, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
Her predecessor, Geoff Morrell, was unpopular internally and connected to several gaffes that didn’t help Chapek’s rocky time at the helm.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … DIGITAL'S NEWS QUIZ — Where did AOC commit gaffes on global stage?
—FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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Noem’s dissmissal comes after she was berated by lawmakers on Capitol Hill over a series of disastrous blunders by her department, including the killings of two American citizens by border patrol agents in Minneapolis and apparent attempts by DHS to stifle investigations into the shootings.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
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The infielder was mocked on social media after a head-scratching baserunning blunder against his former team, the Miami Marlins, in August.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Wahlin said that there’s a difference between making a mistake and making a hard-working mistake.—
Dean Spiros,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
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Mikaela Shiffrin improved from 12th following a costly mistake in the opening run to finish fifth and protect her lead in the overall standings.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the Oakland days, there was less margin for error.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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For seasoned pickleball players, finding the best paddle for competitive play may require a series of trial-and-error attempts, but a little education about paddle types can also go a long way.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And right now, Taylor cannot stop herself from initiating phone sex with Dakota even while sobbing over his indiscretions at Vanderpump Villa.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
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These reported indiscretions — on which Wasserman did not comment — caused a stir at the time but seemed to fade as weeks went by.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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