1
as in mistake
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
you can expect to make some amusing gaffs until you get more familiar with the language
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blunder
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
double-check the new writer's grammar, as it's typically riddled with gaffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to trick
to cause to believe what is untrue
a sleazy schemer who gaffed gullible people into thinking they could get rich with a money-making opportunity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the operators of the traveling carnival had gaffed patrons with a variety of time-honored ruses
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaff
Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
Some of the gear commonly used for technical climbing, like gaffs—steel spikes worn on the legs for added grip on the tree trunk when cutting branches—can also cause inadvertent damage to the tallest trees.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 7 Aug. 2024
Dana Taylor: How can people determine the difference between just a normal gaff and when there's actually something wrong?
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
Sunday's cartoons - airline safety, teleprompter gaffs, and more
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By The Week US
published April 28, 2024
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber.
—The Week Us, theweek, 28 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gaff
Noun
About two minutes before his gaff, Connor Bedard scored a power-play goal (Martin Pospíšil had committed a boarding major against Taylor Hall) to help the Hawks draw within 4-2.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
Some of the gear commonly used for technical climbing, like gaffs—steel spikes worn on the legs for added grip on the tree trunk when cutting branches—can also cause inadvertent damage to the tallest trees.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 7 Aug. 2024
Dana Taylor: How can people determine the difference between just a normal gaff and when there's actually something wrong?
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
Sunday's cartoons - airline safety, teleprompter gaffs, and more
Newsletter sign up
By The Week US
published April 28, 2024
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber.
—The Week Us, theweek, 28 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gaff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaff
Noun
-
But when mistakes are punished or hidden, innovation stops in its tracks.—
IESE Business School,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
Skull emoji: This emoji is often used to mock someone's mistake or appearance.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
What happened to Josh Friedman isn’t just an HR blunder.—
Chloe Rogers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 July 2025
-
Letting Tommy Kahnle, a reliable arm, walk has turned out to be a massive blunder.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
Luckily for Marian, much of Bertha’s attention is stolen by the unexpected arrival of her unsophisticated sister; Bertha’s too busy making snide comments and tricking her into wearing nicer gowns to even bother with Marian.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
13 July 2025
-
The offense is built on outside runs and tricking the defense.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Business Technology News #5 – Here are 10 ways to use Grok 4 that feel like cheating: AI resources platform God of Prompt listed 10 creative ways to use Grok 4 – xAI’s large language model – on its X feed.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
-
What People Are Saying Byron's wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, removed her last name from her Facebook account and later deleted it following the cheating allegations, Page Six reported.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Noun
-
Without a robust knowledge foundation, these early wins can mask serious risks—from compliance breaches to costly decision errors.—
Stéphane Donzé,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
Pilot error caused the crash, according to a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
His impersonation is so convincing that Lu and Shin are initially fooled.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
-
The Mets couldn’t pick up his slider and were fooled on his changeup.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
Verb
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The bees became aggressive and stung the man multiple times.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
9 July 2025
-
Those walking through Aurillac, a quaint French community, were stung over a 30-minute period, with three people in critical condition evacuated to a hospital.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
Earlier, the Chicago Cubs beat Cleveland 6-5 in 13 innings when Andres Blanco came home on Kerry Wood’s gaffe. 2011 — The Florida Marlins named Jack McKeon interim manager.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
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There are benefits to waiting; Apple has largely been able to avoid the embarrassing AI gaffes of its rivals, with one exception.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaff. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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