Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use gaff in a sentence

26 example sentences · noun, verb

Gaff means a tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat. Example: “We politely ignored his gaff.”

Examples of gaff by meaning

nounA tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.

  • When Leonard finally hauls up a cod of seventy-five centimeters, probably seven years old, a typical catch ten years ago, they all joke, "Oh my God, get the gaff!"1997, Mark Kurlansky, Cod: a Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

nounA minor error or faux pas, a gaffe.

  • We politely ignored his gaff.

nounA trick or con.

  • The sideshow feat was just a gaff, but the audience was too proud to admit they'd been fooled.

nounA type of tight, panty-like underwear worn to hold the penis and testicles tucked backwards and make one's genital...

  • This may sound strange to readers who know little about nudes but many female impersonators, or femme-mimics, work au naturel—except for a gaff, a bra, body makeup, jewelry, and a wig (on their head).1964, Kenneth Marlowe, Mr. Madam: Confessions of a Male Madam, Los Angeles: Sherbourne Press, →LCCN, page 17
  • Sissy maids may be required to wear a gaff to disguise the male genitals, and a dominant may wish a slave to wear it on a daily basis.1996, Christina Abernathy, Miss Abernathy's Concise Slave Training Manual, San Francisco: Greenery Press, →ISBN, page 35

verbTo use a gaff, especially to land a fish.

  • I was armed with the regular club with which the boat-pullers killed the wounded seals gaffed aboard by the hunters.1904, Jack London, chapter 30, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC

verbTo doctor or modify for deceptive purposes.

  • When the operator began losing, he gaffed the wheel and then the patron had no chance to win.1993, Betty Lou Wolfe, Marian Jean Gray, The Way We Were: Reflections from the 1930's, page 23
  • However, this apathy will quickly disappear if it is learned the friendly game involves marked (gaffed) cards.1977, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, volume 46, number 9, page 8
  • You will be using gaffed cards: a double faced card.1989, Penn & Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends, page 96

verbTo affix gaffer tape to, or cover with gaffer tape.

  • I gaffed down the sleeves to my lens hoods instead of just relying on the drawstring to hold it in place.2013 July 19, Kai-Huei Yau, “Shoot before you dye”, in Tri-City Herald, archived from the original on 20 Feb 2020

nounA place of residence.

  • We're going round to Mike's gaff later to watch the footie.
  • How was I to know this was your gaff?1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 56
  • And like I said, I was so fuck-faced that I forgot I'd moved and let myself back into my old gaff.1993, Tristan Hawkins, Pepper, London: Flamingo, →ISBN, page 106

More sentences with gaff

  • Let's get some gaff tape to secure these cords!From the entry gaff tape
  • “Bin workin’ a fly pitch in the Sat’day gaff,” said Micky Barnet.1939, J.B. Priestly, Let the People Sing, page 217. From the entry fly-pitch
  • "No, I ain't got no gaff," replied Shiner, lifting the fender another notch.1935, Henry Williamson, Salar the Salmon, Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company, published 1936, page 267. From the entry midear
  • You mustn't let the tuna rest, if you aim to ever gaff him alongside.1901 February, Maximilian Foster, “The Greatest Game Fishing”, in Munsey's Magazine, volume 24, number 5, page 662. From the entry chug away
  • Any fish were gaffed and brought aboard, the hooks rebaited, and the line paid out on the other side.2012, Jack Coggins, Marine Painter's Guide. From the entry rebait
  • Reg’s gaff totally melts away, like sticky spoodge, and the room spins out and darkens until it’s disappeared.2008, Mark Wernham, Martin Martin's on the Other Side, Jonathan Cape, page 261. From the entry spoodge
  • If a pipe breaks, she wraps it in gaff tape.1983, Bill Porterfield, The Greatest Honky-Tonks in Texas, Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Co., →ISBN, page 73. From the entry gaff tape
  • They said they planned to hook the shark with a gaff and go for a "Nantucket sleigh ride."1974, Peter Benchley, Jaws (2012 Random House edition), p. 89 (Google preview). From the entry Nantucket sleigh ride
  • But, my child, if Geoffrey is to be got out at this immature stage it blows the gaff completely.1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London. From the entry blow the gaff
  • Hooked, gaffed, and in the boat.2015, Ted Bell, White Death, page 183. From the entry drink someone's bathwater
  • No gaffs, no grift, nothing phoney.1976, Mary Carey, George Sherman, A compendium of bunk: or, How to spot a con artist. From the entry slum
  • Although it is more burdensome to handle than a Bermudan rig, a 'well-found gaff rig copes with heavy weather at least as capably as its triangular equivalent.2016, Tom Cunliffe, Hand, Reef and Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats, →ISBN. From the entry capably
  • Although it is more burdensome to handle than a Bermudan rig, a well-found gaff rig copes with heavy weather at least as capably as its triangular equivalent.2016, Tom Cunliffe, Hand, Reef and Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats, →ISBN. From the entry well-found

Meaning of gaff

  1. noun A tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
  2. noun A minor error or faux pas, a gaffe.
  3. noun A trick or con.

Full definition of gaff

Questions about gaff in a sentence

How do you use gaff in a sentence?
Gaff is used as a noun and verb. For example: “We politely ignored his gaff.”
What is a short sentence with gaff?
“We politely ignored his gaff.”
What does gaff mean?
Gaff means a tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: gaff (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this page: “How to use gaff in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/gaff. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.