faux pas
Americannoun
-
faux pas
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of faux pas
First recorded in 1670–80; from French: literally, “false step”
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.
It was during his on-court interview afterward, however, that Shelton committed a bit of a faux pas while discussing the match that ended later than any other in tournament history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Another Kushner faux pas, this one perhaps reflecting his ignorance of European history: “There is no such thing in the world as forever enemies or forever allies.”
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
She was quick to try to clean up her faux pas, claiming she had skipped over the section because her statement was running long, but no one believed it.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2026
Franks says she will never regret her time at Cambridge, despite the sneers and the cheeseboard faux pas.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
Some of the pilots were drifting back from the bar, still laughing at the rare faux pas of a colonel’s wife calling her husband at happy hour.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
