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faux pas

[ foh pah ]
/ foʊ ˈpɑ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR faux pas ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural faux pas [foh pahz; French foh pah] /foʊ ˈpɑz; French foʊ ˈpɑ/.

a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion.

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RELATED WORDS

blooper, blunder, botch, breach, break, bungle, error, flop, flub, gaffe, goof, hash, impropriety, indiscretion, mess, misconduct, misstep, mistake, offense, oversight

Nearby words

fauteuil, fauve, fauvism, fauvist, faux, faux pas, faux-naïf, fauxbourdon, fava bean, fave, favela

Origin of faux pas

1670–80; < French: literally, false step
SYNONYMS FOR faux pas
error; impropriety.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR faux pas ON THESAURUS.COM
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for faux pas

faux pas

/ (ˌfəʊ ˈpɑː, French fo pɑ) /

noun plural faux pas (ˌfəʊ ˈpɑːz, French fo pɑ)

a social blunder or indiscretion

Word Origin for faux pas

C17: from French: false step
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for faux pas

faux pas

n.

1670s, French, literally "false step."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper