gaffing

verb

present participle of gaff
1
as in tricking
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in squeezing
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffing
  1. tricking
  2. squeezing
  3. fooling
  4. cheating
  5. deceiving
  6. plucking
  7. teasing
  8. hustling
Verb
  • Proponents argue this reveals the AI's full capabilities, including potential for cyberattacks, while critics warn of severe risks like AI wreaking havoc, creating viruses, or tricking humans.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • ClickFix works by tricking you into performing an action on your computer that stealthily downloads and installs malware.
    — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of tricking
Verb
  • Squeeze your glutes, engage your core and drive your heels into the floor to raise your hips up to the ceiling while gently squeezing the ball.
    — Andee Tagle, NPR, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Google hasn't explained the cut, but the timing lines up with the same memory and AI infrastructure costs squeezing pricing across the entire industry this year.
    — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • Anybody hoping that a Netanyahu defeat in October and the emergence of a less controversial successor will reset the table is likely fooling themselves.
    — Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Throughout all the commotion, Romelu Lukaku acted as decoy, holding on to the ball, fooling everyone, including the TV producer, who pulled up a graphic showing his recent penalty record.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of fooling
Verb
  • The Model 3 and Model Y adopted less elaborate press-and-pivot handles, helping give the cars their clean, wind-cheating profiles.
    — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The British-Argentine actor’s point has less to do with her conflicted con artist cheating death numerous times and besting her mobster in-laws, as well as the FBI.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheating
Verb
  • Paul has long accused Fauci of deceiving Americans about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • The ensuing investigation ultimately revealed that Angela had framed Hadley and uncovered evidence of her long history of deceiving people to gain sympathy.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Definition of deceiving
Verb
  • The streamer has found its leading lady for the biopic, plucking an unknown first-timer to play the sertanejo icon.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Dramatic photos taken from the scene show a firefighter on a tower ladder plucking a panicked child from a fire escape.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of plucking
Verb
  • There was a few months of speculation that Grande and Álvarez had reunited, with Grande coyly teasing their coupledom.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2026
  • New series regular Da’Vinchi, whose character is the same rank, shared a photo from set on Thursday, August 20, teasing the casting.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of teasing
Verb
  • Besides Instagram hustling and scouring job boards, entrepreneurial editors find gigs when creators call out for help.
    — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Devers, who finished with three hits, eschewed his power for small ball in the fifth, laying down a surprise bunt for a single, then hustling home on Susac’s sacrifice fly.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
Definition of hustling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

gaffes
gaffing
gaffs
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Cite this Entry

“Gaffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffing. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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