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
Christopher ClareySynonyms
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
But both sides have made significant gaffes in their appeals.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 1 July 2024
Already attracting attention from certain media circles today, a POTUS sit down interview is not an entirely original idea after a big gaffe or crisis.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 June 2024
And will there be any big gaffes that one side can weaponize against the other?
—Heather Hendershot / Made By History, TIME, 27 June 2024
During their first debate, Reagan, 73, had gaffes and appeared confused at times – bringing up questions about his age as a potential vulnerability in his bid for a second term.
—Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for gaffe 
Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 1 July 2024
Already attracting attention from certain media circles today, a POTUS sit down interview is not an entirely original idea after a big gaffe or crisis.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 June 2024
And will there be any big gaffes that one side can weaponize against the other?
—Heather Hendershot / Made By History, TIME, 27 June 2024
During their first debate, Reagan, 73, had gaffes and appeared confused at times – bringing up questions about his age as a potential vulnerability in his bid for a second term.
—Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for gaffe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gaffe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gaffe
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaffe. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gaffe
noun
: a noticeable mistake especially of manners
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