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
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Recent Examples of foul-up
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Many have faulted Cuba’s Stalinist bureaucratic centralization, but few critiques are as replete with concrete examples of foolishness and foul-ups.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023
Bee digestion breaks down the sucrose within nectar into glucose and fructose, which are an excellent food source for microbes like yeast that could foul up the honey stores.
—Darren Incorvaia, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2021
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
Many have faulted Cuba’s Stalinist bureaucratic centralization, but few critiques are as replete with concrete examples of foolishness and foul-ups.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
Verb
Indiana opted to foul up three, Dug McDaniel made the first then intentionally missed the second, Thompson grabbing the rebound.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023
Bee digestion breaks down the sucrose within nectar into glucose and fructose, which are an excellent food source for microbes like yeast that could foul up the honey stores.
—Darren Incorvaia, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2021
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul-up
Noun
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The lawsuit also alleges that another member had made the same mistake a few weeks later with no punishment.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
-
However, a few hours later, Party admitted that recording and teasing the song was a mistake.—
Angel Diaz,
Billboard,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And Volodymyr Zelenskyy also fumbled the bag pretty hard.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Arriving in England in 1929, Queenie fumbled around on the edges of the entertainment business, hoping to be an actor.—
Carolyn Kellogg,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Lamine Yamal caught up with him, bumped into him and tripped the centre back to the ground.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Colorado dropped 13 games in a row to open the conference season before tripping UCF.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The second is that there needs to be more forward communication to fans that the potential for mix-ups in these kind of situations is very real, and not merely an explanation used by a player, coach or other participant trying to avoid punishment.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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The adorable mix-up has taken TikTok by storm, with the video, shared by @ellandcosta, racking up more than 165,000 views and over 21,000 likes to date.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Knicks blew a 19-point lead, and Philadelphia stormed back to take a 97-96 advantage with 3:59 left in the fourth quarter.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Courtenay Brown Feb 14, 2025 - Economy Trump trade plan intensifies The Trump trade war has blown past the realm of tariffs.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Skype won attention in the 2000s for giving people a way to talk without paying the phone company, but stumbled in the mobile era and didn’t enjoy a major resurgence during the pandemic.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2025
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Those concerns came to a head during Biden's debate against now-President Donald Trump in June, when Biden sounded hoarse and appeared to stumble through several answers.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Unlike his Western European counterparts, who waver between moral grandstanding and strategic confusion, Duda has taken the only approach that actually strengthens European security: full alignment with American leadership.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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Each stanza reflects the confusion, horror and uncertainty that of the battle to keep Fort McHenry — and thus the City of Baltimore — from falling into British hands.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The stalking may just have been a way to bide time and screw up the courage for a dinner invite, but after their meal, Burt’s Outie might not be wholly innocent or trustworthy.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
22 Feb. 2025
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If one of the 11 messes up, the whole thing’s screwing up.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul-up. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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