blooper

American  

[bloo-per] / ˈblu pər /

noun

1. Informal. an embarrassing or humorous mistake, as one spoken live over a radio or television broadcast or one recorded during the filming of a movie, television show, etc..

   At the end of each season, the cast gathers to watch all the hilarious bloopers that were edited out along the way.

   Synonyms:

   goof, gaffe, slip, blunder, error

2. Radio. a receiving set that generates from its antenna radio-frequency signals that interfere with other nearby receivers.

3. Baseball.

   1. Also called bloop, looper, Texas leaguer.  a fly ball that carries just beyond the infield, where it is out of catching range for both the infielders and the outfielders, resulting in a hit for the batter.

   2. Also blooper ball a pitched ball that travels in a high arc before deceptively dropping into the strike zone.

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blooper British  

/ ˈbluːpə /

noun

1. informal a blunder; bloomer; stupid mistake

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Etymology

Origin of blooper

First recorded in 1925–30; bloop + -er ¹, originally in reference to a radio receiver that emits bloops

Example Sentences

Battered, bruised and well beaten, Smith had coughed up a horrendous blooper for Sale's sixth try, failing to gather a routine backfield ball to allow a chasing Raffi Quirke to dot down.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

It even has a blooper reel at the end.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

Its fraternal spirit reminded me of the blooper reels you’d see at the end of the Burt Reynolds movies made by director Hal Needham who, yes, began his career as a stunt double.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2024

Leody Taveras didn’t wait for two strikes, he swung at the first pitch, hitting a soft blooper off the end of the bat that found grass in right field for another RBI single.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 30, 2023

The blooper was too unbelievable to keep secret for more than a few minutes.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• gaffe