as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
you've bollixed up the whole thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bollix (up)
Verb
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Lucille Ball once lost her glasses on stage at the Emmys and had to fumble her way through.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025 -
Seconds thereafter, the Clippers fumbled the ball away once again, setting up Gloucester with another short field.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As health restrictions discouraged people from blowing directly into instruments, Gajewski and Brown reimagined the design.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Soldiers have also been spotted in parks carrying out tasks typically assigned to gardeners and landscapers – shoveling mulch, blowing leaves and scooping up trash.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some hardware is brass-plated, which means scrubbing could expose the metal underneath and ruin the finish.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Simone Jasper,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Crosby can’t afford to screw up his endgame in Pittsburgh because losing a perfect game with two outs in the ninth wouldn’t be right, not for a man of his character.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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Best of all though is Reeves, channeling his own 1989 comic past from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure or a bit of Todd Higgins from Parenthood to bring deadpan delight as the well-meaning but constantly screwing up angel trying to do good but being so bad at it.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bollix (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bollix%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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