1
as in mistake
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
you can expect to make some amusing gaffs until you get more familiar with the language
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blunder
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
double-check the new writer's grammar, as it's typically riddled with gaffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to trick
to cause to believe what is untrue
a sleazy schemer who gaffed gullible people into thinking they could get rich with a money-making opportunity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the operators of the traveling carnival had gaffed patrons with a variety of time-honored ruses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaff
Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 7 Aug. 2024
Dana Taylor: How can people determine the difference between just a normal gaff and when there's actually something wrong?
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
Sunday's cartoons - airline safety, teleprompter gaffs, and more
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By The Week US
published April 28, 2024
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber.
—The Week Us, theweek, 28 Apr. 2024
Despite the gaff, Redmaye is still hoping to sneak his son and daughter into the August Wilson Theatre in New York City to see his opening number.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for gaff
Noun
Some of the gear commonly used for technical climbing, like gaffs—steel spikes worn on the legs for added grip on the tree trunk when cutting branches—can also cause inadvertent damage to the tallest trees.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 7 Aug. 2024
Dana Taylor: How can people determine the difference between just a normal gaff and when there's actually something wrong?
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
Sunday's cartoons - airline safety, teleprompter gaffs, and more
Newsletter sign up
By The Week US
published April 28, 2024
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber.
—The Week Us, theweek, 28 Apr. 2024
Despite the gaff, Redmaye is still hoping to sneak his son and daughter into the August Wilson Theatre in New York City to see his opening number.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for gaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaff
Noun
-
The lawsuit also alleges that another member had made the same mistake a few weeks later with no punishment.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
-
However, a few hours later, Party admitted that recording and teasing the song was a mistake.—
Angel Diaz,
Billboard,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Still, many in Kenya condemned the talks as a political blunder by President William Ruto, and called on him to reverse course.—
Declan Walsh,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The verdict came after a blunder by Miami-Dade state prosecutors, who felt the need to apologize to jurors for not identifying a purse on the couch next to where Knighton was sitting in Blount’s apartment when she was shot.—
Charles Rabin,
Miami Herald,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
That difference between them proves rather problematic when Stuart tricks Ted into merging their firm with another that's coincidentally run by Ted's ex, Samantha (Rachelle Goulding), and then cuts his partner out of the deal.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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Phishing emails, malware-laden attachments and fraudulent schemes now lurk within spam messages, tricking unsuspecting users into clicking malicious links, revealing sensitive information or even infecting their devices with ransomware and spyware.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
In July 2022, Renay announced her split from NE-YO in a fiery Instagram caption that accused him of cheating.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Here are four deeper psychological factors behind why some people cheat—even in happy relationships.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Gibney explores her long career, her occasional errors and her innovative work in diagnosing and understanding multiple personality disorder.—
Jason Bailey,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Yet, as Attanasio continues to clamp down on spending, his team’s margin for error keeps shrinking.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Lohse even managed to fool historian Jonathan Petropoulos, who is at the center of the documentary, and spent years investigating Lohse, only to be tricked by him.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Was their advocacy for new energy sources just a ploy to fool their constituents and get reelected?—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Wheaton’s actions may have stung in particular because Vought has publicly defended the college in the past.—
Emma Green,
The New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Sandler and Farley, while both still incredibly popular with audiences, were eventually fired in 1995 by Michaels, who was stung by the criticism.—
Dennis Perkins,
EW.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, there have been many articles and books commemorating the milestone; one of the latter made headlines Friday for a publicity gaffe involving Tina Fey and Jon Hamm.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
17 Feb. 2025
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Unlike her parents, who have committed a handful of regrettable gaffes (including going on holiday to Greece during a Covid lockdown), Catharina-Amalia seems to have her finger on the pulse of the nation.—
Rebecca Cope,
Vogue,
25 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to gaff
Cite this Entry
“Gaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaff. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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