Gaff — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈgaf/

Meaning & Definition of Gaff

Gaff (noun)

  1. a handled hook for holding or lifting heavy fish
  2. a spear or spearhead for taking fish or turtles
  3. a metal spur for a gamecock
  4. something painful or difficult to bear, ordeal —usually used in the phrase stand the gaff; especially, persistent raillery or criticism
  5. rough treatment, abuse
  6. hoax, fraud
  7. a cheap theater or music hall

Gaff (verb)

  1. to strike or secure with a spear or hook
  2. to fit (a gamecock) with a metal spur
  3. deceive, trick; also, fleece
  4. to fix for the purpose of cheating

Gaff (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark

    "you can expect to make some amusing gaffs until you get more familiar with the language"

    similar: familiarity, faux pas, gaffe, impropriety, indiscretion, solecism
    related: blunder, error, flub, fumble, goof, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, oversight, slip, slipup, stumble, discourtesy, incivility, offense, boner, howler, foul-up, muff, misapprehension, miscalculation, misconception, misjudgment, misstatement, misunderstanding
    opposite: amenity, attention, civility, courtesy, formality, gesture, pleasantry
    near: form, manners, mores, proprieties

  2. an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy

    "double-check the new writer's grammar, as it's typically riddled with gaffs"

    similar: blunder, bobble, boo-boo, boob (British), brick, clanger (British), clinker, error, fault, flub, fluff, fumble, gaffe, goof, inaccuracy, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, oversight, screwup, slip, slipup, stumble, trip
    related: bloomer, blooper, boner, howler, pratfall, foul-up, snafu, misapprehension, miscalculation, miscomprehension, misconception, misconstruction, misdescription, misimpression, misinterpretation, misjudgment, misreading, misstatement, misunderstanding
    near: accuracy, correctness, exactitude, exactness, preciseness, precision, strictness, inerrancy, infallibility, perfection

Gaff (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gammon, gull, have, have on (chiefly British), hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, suck in, sucker, take in, trick, do a number on, lead one down the garden path, pull one's leg, pull the wool over one's eyes
    related: kid, put on, tease, bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, fleece, flimflam, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle
    opposite: undeceive
    near: debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask, disclose, divulge, tell, unveil, disabuse, disenchant, disillusion

  2. 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"

    similar: beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, fleece, flimflam, hose (slang), hustle, mulct, nobble (British slang), pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize, sell a bill of goods to, take for a ride, take to the cleaners
    related: extort, wrench, wrest, wring, clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak, exploit, milk, deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick, rope (in), betray, bitch, double-cross, bamboozle, fast-talk

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Gaff

The most common words with a similar meaning to Gaff:

British: boob, clanger
Chiefly British: have on
Slang: hose
British slang: nobble
familiarity, faux pas, gaffe, impropriety, indiscretion, solecism, blunder, bobble, boo-boo, brick, clinker, error, fault, flub, fluff, fumble, goof, inaccuracy, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, oversight, screwup, slip, slipup, stumble, trip, bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fake out

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Gaff

Words with the opposite meaning of Gaff:

amenity, attention, civility, courtesy, formality, gesture, pleasantry, undeceive

Related Words for Gaff

discourtesy, incivility, offense, boner, howler, foul-up, muff, misapprehension, miscalculation, misconception, misjudgment, misstatement, misunderstanding, bloomer, blooper, pratfall, snafu, miscomprehension, misconstruction, misdescription, misimpression, misinterpretation, misreading, kid, put on, tease, extort, wrench, wrest, wring

Near Antonyms of Gaff

form, manners, mores, proprieties, accuracy, correctness, exactitude, exactness, preciseness, precision, strictness, inerrancy, infallibility, perfection, debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask, disclose, divulge, tell, unveil, disabuse, disenchant, disillusion

Word Forms of Gaff

Inflections: gaffed, gaffing, gaffs

Origin & Etymology of Gaff

borrowed from French gaffe, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Old Occitan gaf, probably derivative of gafar "to seize," of obscure origin

First known use: circa 1656

Words & Phrases Containing Gaff

gaff-topsail, blow the gaff

Frequently Asked Questions about Gaff

What does "Gaff" mean?

"Gaff" means a handled hook for holding or lifting heavy fish. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a handled hook for holding or lifting heavy fish. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Gaff"?

Other words for "Gaff" include familiarity, faux pas, gaffe, impropriety, indiscretion, solecism, blunder and bobble. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Gaff" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Gaff"?

There are 147 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Gaff". Common alternatives include familiarity, faux pas, gaffe, impropriety, indiscretion, solecism, blunder, bobble, boo-boo and boob.

What is the opposite of "Gaff"?

Antonyms of "Gaff" include amenity, attention, civility, courtesy, formality, gesture, pleasantry and undeceive. Near antonyms include form, manners, mores and proprieties.

How do you use "Gaff" in a sentence?

Examples of "Gaff" in a sentence: "you can expect to make some amusing gaffs until you get more familiar with the language"; "double-check the new writer's grammar, as it's typically riddled with gaffs"; "a sleazy schemer who gaffed gullible people into thinking they could get rich with a money-making opportunity".

Is "Gaff" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Gaff" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Gaff"?

"Gaff" is pronounced /ˈgaf/.

What is the origin of the word "Gaff"?

"Gaff" comes from borrowed from French gaffe, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Old Occitan gaf, probably derivative of gafar "to seize," of obscure origin. First known use: circa 1656.