gaffe
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of gaffe
1905–10; < French: blunder, probably special use of gaffe gaff 1
Explanation
A gaffe is a mistake that embarrasses you in front of others. If you run into a friend out with her grey-haired father, and you blurt out, "Oh, hi, you must be Tara's grandfather!" then you've made a gaffe. Gaffe rhymes with laugh, and you'll be lucky if that's how people respond to your social blunder. A gaffe seems to occur most often when you literally don't know your audience — you make a joke about the mayor; you didn't know you were talking to his sister. That's definitely a gaffe. And who knew your hosts come from a culture that takes offense if you refuse to try every dish?
Vocabulary lists containing gaffe
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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Awkward Moments
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gaffe videos are ubiquitous clickbait, and politicians’ bloopers are among the most popular fodder.
From New York Times • Jun. 8, 2022
The poster shows Dietrich with Sam Gaffe, who is wearing a fur coat and a wig, slightly matching his costar.
From The Guardian • Apr. 9, 2019
That said, assuming the reporting is accurate, it looks like a classic example of Kinsley Gaffe: the president made a mistake by accidentally telling the truth.
From MSNBC • Aug. 16, 2018
Gaffe: A verbal error or slip-up made by a politician or other political figure.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2016
The American Vice President-elect may have made a few verbal missteps during the campaign, but the title of Prince of Gaffe belongs unassailably Silvio Berlusconi.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
