1
a
: a handled hook for holding or lifting heavy fish
b
: a spear or spearhead for taking fish or turtles
c
: a metal spur for a gamecock
d
: a butcher's hook
e
: a climbing iron or its steel point
2
: the spar (see spar entry 1 sense 2a) on which the head of a fore-and-aft sail is extended
3
: gaffe
gaffed; gaffing; gaffs
1
: to strike or secure with a spear or hook
gaff a salmon
2
: to fit (a gamecock) with a metal spur
gaffed; gaffing; gaffs
2
: to fix for the purpose of cheating
gaff the dice
British
: a cheap theater or music hall
Examples of gaff in a Sentence
Noun (1)
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
Verb (2)
a sleazy schemer who gaffed gullible people into thinking they could get rich with a money-making opportunity
the operators of the traveling carnival had gaffed patrons with a variety of time-honored ruses
Recent Examples on the Web
Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025
Crowe leaped from the boat with a fishing gaff and, after several fumbles, managed to flip the trembling, bloodied creature onto the bow deck.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
During a fight, birds are typically weighted and then short or long knife and gaff weapons are attached to roosters.
SHARK alerted the county during the fight.
—Allana Smith, Freep.com, 7 Aug. 2025
But the gaff is igniting new calls for Hegseth to be ousted, including from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.).
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaff
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Noun
Half an hour later Denio had worked the fish up from the bottom near their boat, where crew members sunk a large flying gaff into it.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025
Crowe leaped from the boat with a fishing gaff and, after several fumbles, managed to flip the trembling, bloodied creature onto the bow deck.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
During a fight, birds are typically weighted and then short or long knife and gaff weapons are attached to roosters.
SHARK alerted the county during the fight.
—Allana Smith, Freep.com, 7 Aug. 2025
But the gaff is igniting new calls for Hegseth to be ousted, including from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.).
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaff
Cite this Entry
“Gaff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaff. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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