Faux pas: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Faux pas noun. A social blunder that causes embarrassment.
How to say it
foh PAH/ˌfəʊ ˈpɑː/
2 syllables, stressed on the second (PAH).
Faux pas in a sentence
Wearing white to someone else's wedding is a famous faux pas.
I made a faux pas by asking when the baby was due; she wasn't pregnant.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- blunder
- gaffe
- slip
- solecism
Where faux pas comes from
French for false step.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
I made a _____ by asking when the baby was due; she wasn't pregnant.
- aficionado
- faux pas
- leitmotif
Show the answer
faux pas: I made a faux pas by asking when the baby was due; she wasn't pregnant.