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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Recent Examples of gaffe
At this late stage of the campaign, both candidates need to avoid any gaffes that could be used against them.
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Their defense kept their gaffes from ruining their night.
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
And while Monday’s gaffe happened in a lower-stakes regular season-game, the loss still further worsened the Cowboys’ playoff odds.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 10 Dec. 2024
Other entries on the list reflect a mix of political gaffes, conspiracy theories and social commentary.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gaffe 
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Their defense kept their gaffes from ruining their night.
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
And while Monday’s gaffe happened in a lower-stakes regular season-game, the loss still further worsened the Cowboys’ playoff odds.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 10 Dec. 2024
Other entries on the list reflect a mix of political gaffes, conspiracy theories and social commentary.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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But if a goalkeeper blunders like Illan Meslier did at Hull City (above) on Saturday, patience is going to be tested.Phil Hay, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor redeemed himself in a big way Sunday, practically single-handedly keeping the team’s playoff hopes alive one week after a big blunder.Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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After two days of dealing with wildfires that have burned thousands of acres, residents across Los Angeles County received a wildfire evacuation alert on Thursday afternoon that was a mistake.Jay Peters, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2025
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Structured processes like those in the military, Pixar, and Google demonstrate how providing psychological safety and encouraging honest feedback can lead to learning from mistakes and continuous improvement.Thomas Bostick, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communication line failure, theft, or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of the Media.USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
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There’s very little room for error if growth does not accelerate in the coming years.Trefis Team, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The caveat is that yours are coming out to play today and other people are able to sweep their indiscretions under the rug.Lisa Stardust, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024
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For one, Green's opponent, Barry, is certainly not making hay of the messy family situation, given her own personal indiscretions.Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
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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
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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
Thesaurus Entries Near gaffe
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
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