gaffe

noun

ˈgaf 

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

Synonyms

• familiarity
• faux pas
• gaff
• impropriety
• indiscretion
• solecism

Examples 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

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

Christie bounced back from his late-game gaffe against Oklahoma City to score 12 points and grab five rebounds. —Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024

At this late stage of the campaign, both candidates need to avoid any gaffes that could be used against them. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Their defense kept their gaffes from ruining their night. —Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, probably a sense development of gaffe gaff entry 1

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gaffe

noun

ˈgaf 

: a noticeable mistake especially of manners