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.
That didn’t stop the “Tarps Off” throng of shirtless fans at Angel Stadium from chanting Adell’s name after the gaffe against the Rockies.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
By 'Tom Ford and Smith', the club were referring to a gaffe made by Atleti president Enrique Cerezo earlier in the year when he named both as players for his side.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Coke stock wobbled for weeks on the marketing gaffe, but the company backtracked in July and its stock rose 42% that year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
The gaffe underscores how lifelike AI visuals -- even those containing glaring errors -- are seeping into everyday discourse, sowing confusion during breaking news events and influencing political debate at the highest levels.
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
My gaffe was even worse in Karhidish, but Estraven did not smile, or wince.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
