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.
His gaffe went viral, as Italians posted images of De Angelis with the slogan "here's the amazing Mariah Carey!"
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
Local financial-market regulators say the gaffe has exposed fundamental weakness in the country’s digital-asset industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
The “Cold Mountain” gaffe was a rare instance of a “Good Hang” research flub, one that inadvertently managed to illuminate more of Paltrow’s self-perception.
From Salon • Jan. 16, 2026
But the bizarre gaffe by the Dane sparked outrage from Tottenham fans on social media, leaving Frank with more awkward questions to answer following the latest wretched result of his troubled reign.
From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026
Boats passed out of the harbor and into the harbor and each one slowed to remark on my sailing gaffe and give me advice.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
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.
