as in mistake
an instance of confusion
there was a foul-up with our mail order, and not one item arrived as ordered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
tried not to foul up the football play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to trip
to make a mistake
unfortunately, I fouled up and in my e-mail gave everyone the wrong date for the meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of foul-up
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Rather, inflation had arisen from supply chain foul-ups caused by the Covid epidemic, an act of God rendered worse by comic-opera mismanagement under President Donald Trump.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
These people are aiming to foul up the central database.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Noun
That foul-up then gets included in the series of questions and answers, causing the final answer to go askew.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Rather, inflation had arisen from supply chain foul-ups caused by the Covid epidemic, an act of God rendered worse by comic-opera mismanagement under President Donald Trump.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
Verb
Karaban almost had a costly turnover on an inbound play with 14 seconds left, but the Huskies fouled up three and Mulready split his free throw attempts, setting up the game-clinching freebies from the Huskies’ captain.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
These people are aiming to foul up the central database.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul-up
Noun
-
Both Velez and Farbstein gave me the 411 on what traveler mistakes can back up the security line.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
-
The third mistake is using wine that is not cold enough.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The stress of getting to your airport gate on time, coupled with the excitement of getting to your destination, can cause even the most seasoned of travelers to fumble at security checkpoints.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
-
Santillan appears to be fumbling away his opportunity, allowing nine runs (eight earned) over his last five appearances.—
Mike Barner,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But in the dark, Yara was just trying their best not to trip over young clumps of prickly pear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Perhaps the best signal for how tech platforms have taken over the TV-ad world can be seen with ad sales executives from traditional entertainment companies tripping over themselves to tout their advanced data, their new agentic ad buying tools, and other advanced ad tech.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
The reason for this is because a strong energy is building up before tomorrow’s Full Moon, which can distract you or cause mix-ups in communications and transportation.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The mix-up quickly turned what was meant to be a romantic gesture into a hilarious moment.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Interestingly, the blowing agent is derived from oyster shells discarded by the seafood industry, and the magnesium and calcium are sourced as natural byproducts of seawater desalination.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
-
Arizona had already established a commanding 7-2 lead going into the fourth inning, but the Diamondbacks blew the doors open by putting up a five-spot to take a 10-run lead.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
In other words, voters didn’t accidentally stumble into supporting term limits.—
Jovani Patterson,
Baltimore Sun,
16 May 2026
-
The Bucs gave up nearly 26 points per game in the final two months of the season while stumbling to a 2-7 finish.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Constant changes and slow IRS guidance led to widespread confusion and, eventually, abuse that forced the IRS to put a moratorium on claims on September 14, 2023 until August 8, 2024.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
So there’s little doubt that the emergence of jumbo-size Messi’s across America’s lawns create more intrigue than confusion, even in a nation where soccer as a whole remains a second-tier sport.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
First of all, don’t hide misdeeds and screwups, which comes naturally by not committing misdeeds and not screwing up.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
-
The two screwed up a tilt-a-whirl spot, but Breakker made up for it with a standing moonsault.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul-up. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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