Standard Lemma guide

gaffe

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ɡæf/
  • rhymes with -æf
  • homophone: gaff
  • CMU ARPABET: G AE1 F Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A foolish and embarrassing error, especially one made in public; a social blunder; a breach of etiquette.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • make a gaffe

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blooper, blunder, mistake, error, slip, slip-up, aberration, bloomer, boner, boo-boo, break, clanger, cock-up, disadventure, fault, faux pas, floater, flub, fluff, fuckup, gaffe, goof, howler, inaccuracy, lapse, lapsus, mess-up, misadventure, misstep, oopsy, screwup, slipup, stumble, thinko, wrength, solecism, erroneity

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a socially awkward or tactless act

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: faux pas, solecism, slip, gaucherie

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: blunder, blooper, bloomer, bungle, pratfall, foul-up, fuckup, flub, botch, boner, boo-boo

History

Etymology

From French gaffe (“blunder”). Doublet of gaff.

Across languages

Translations

61 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Breton: fazienn — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Breton: fallvarch — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Bulgarian: гаф (gaf) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Bulgarian: грешка (greška) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Chinese Mandarin: 失態 /失态 (shītài) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Chinese Mandarin: 出醜 /出丑 (chūchǒu) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Czech: blbost — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Czech: kravina — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Czech: bota — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Czech: faux pas — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Czech: trapas — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Danish: fejltagelse — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Dutch: blunder — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Dutch: uitschuiver — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Dutch: flater — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Dutch: gaffe — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Dutch: misstap — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Finnish: möhläys — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Finnish: munaus — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Finnish: moka — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • French: gaffe — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • French: faux pas — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • French: bévue — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Galician: esquenza — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Galician: disquenza — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Galician: cabuco — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Galician: pifia — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Galician: falenza — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • German: Fauxpas — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • German: Ausrutscher — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • German: Patzer — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Greek: γκάφα (gkáfa) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Hebrew: פַשְלָה (fáshla) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Hungarian: ügyetlenség — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Hungarian: ballépés — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Italian: sproposito — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Italian: figuraccia — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Italian: errore — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Italian: topica — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Italian: gaffe — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Japanese: 失態 (shittai) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Macedonian: гаф (gaf) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Macedonian: гре́шка (gréška) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Norwegian: brøler — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Polish: gafa — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Portuguese: gafe — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Romanian: gafă — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Russian: опло́шность (oplóšnostʹ) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Russian: про́мах (prómax) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Russian: оши́бка (ošíbka) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Russian: конфуз (konfuz) — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Spanish: metida de pata — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Spanish: metedura de pata — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Spanish: desliz — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Spanish: pifia — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Spanish: cagada — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Spanish: gazapo — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Swedish: tabbe — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Swedish: blunder — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Swedish: fadäs — a foolish error, especially one made in public
  • Turkish: gaf — a foolish error, especially one made in public