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

An Associated Press reporter is apologizing after a gaffe on Sunday's Grammys red carpet. —Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025

Keltie Knight is poking fun at her 2025 Grammys gaffe. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025

Now up 20-12, the Eagles profited from a Commanders gaffe on the ensuing kickoff. —Kevin Dotson, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025

Every word was policy, or signaled a shift in policy, or revealed a secret, or was a gaffe that could cause an international incident or domestic political turmoil. —Al Pessin, Sun Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2025

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