1
as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gaffe
In mounting the show, Schuch and her team committed a gaffe of their own.
—
Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
-
Brown could have made a change to the starting lineup, as some expected after a blunder of a Mikal Bridges performance (zero points, four turnovers) in the Knicks’ Game 3 loss at State Farm Arena on Thursday.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Casey Schmitt made up for a baserunning blunder with a two-run homer, Drew Gilbert and Heliot Ramos added solo shots and the San Francisco Giants evened their three-game home series against the Miami Marlins at a game apiece with a 6-2 triumph Saturday afternoon.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Unfortunately, admitting mistakes doesn’t come easily for many people.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
-
To avoid this big mistake, figure out in advance exactly how deep the hole should be, and be careful not to dig any deeper.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gobeille led off the seventh with an infield single up the middle, and an error on Kiefer’s bunt put both on.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
During day three of the trial, Elon Musk struggled to present a confident front, which led to a number of unforced errors.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
According to Becerra, actually, Democrats have done wonders for Californians with only a few minor indiscretions.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In this case, the arc of the season was primed for Batula to be the victim rising from the ashes of her divorce, only for her recent romantic indiscretions to shatter that fantasy.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
