as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
when she was told her information was wrong, she apologized for the flub and immediately corrected it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
added too much flour and flubbed the gravy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
at some point in your training you're going to flub, so don't let it rattle you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flub
Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
Goldberg's relatable flub came amid a Hot Topics discussion about Punch, an adorable macaque whose story of abandonment and bullying at the hands of other primates inside his Japanese zoo enclosure took the internet by storm across the last week.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
The newspaper industry, again and again, has flubbed its chance to propel itself into the future.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flub
Noun
Trump seemed to get a kick out of Obama’s flub.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
Goldberg's relatable flub came amid a Hot Topics discussion about Punch, an adorable macaque whose story of abandonment and bullying at the hands of other primates inside his Japanese zoo enclosure took the internet by storm across the last week.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
Filmmaking is flubbing the catch, and sometimes knowing the fool that's to blame is yourself.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
The newspaper industry, again and again, has flubbed its chance to propel itself into the future.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flub
Noun
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There were almost too many mistakes to count.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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Getting your taxes done early can help reduce stress, avoid last-minute mistakes, and give you more time to fix any issues, such as missing forms or incorrect personal information.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Nothing erodes confidence faster than fumbling for lockboxes, waiting on unresponsive listing agents, or showing a space that clearly doesn’t fit.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hunters exploring in a remote section of the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest stumbled onto a body in the dark, according to investigators in western North Carolina.—
Mark Price
April 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Apr. 2026
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In the clip, the two actors stumble backwards into the glass before falling through and out of the frame.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Milwaukee challenged the play, and the replay clearly showed Bauers stepped on first, causing another blunder for Bucknor.—
Jason Ounpraseuth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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In the second inning, well before his ninth-inning blunder, Burger fumbled an infield pop-up from García with two outs.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Pitchers and batters are both worse than a coin-flip at issuing challenges – blown calls in a matter of seconds.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The explosion tripped two electrical boxes not far away, Smith said, causing wires to detach from a power pole, which fell onto a minivan that became engulfed in flames.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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The unwanted genetic material vanishes without a trace, which is what kept tripping scientists up for decades.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kody Clemens scored on an error by five-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Salvador Perez in the second, and Byron Buxton added a sacrifice fly off John Schreiber in the eighth, before the Twins teed off against Royals reliever Steven Cruz in the ninth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Angels center fielder Mike Trout dropped a Kelly fly ball for a two-base error.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Center fielder Oneil Cruz botched consecutive plays in the first inning, helping the Mets score five runs off a surprisingly ineffective Skenes (0-1), matching his career high.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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In a federal lawsuit filed this month seeking millions in damages, Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, accused Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi of intentionally botching the translation of the lyrics, central to both the Disney films and the musical theater adaptations.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flub. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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