1
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
tried not to foul up the football play
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbled
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
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Recent Examples of fouled up
But their strategy was fouled up when the car’s occupants switched on the headlights, throwing a glare up the tote road along which the wardens had planned to sprint.
—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Wild turkeys gobbled up Staten Island straphangers’ time on Monday, after a flock fouled up service on the Staten Island Railway.
—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
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
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Wild turkeys gobbled up Staten Island straphangers’ time on Monday, after a flock fouled up service on the Staten Island Railway.
—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouled up
Verb
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But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity.
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Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
Verb
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The day after the earthquakes, some volunteers stumbled upon a 7-year-old boy named Mateo, shirtless and covered in debris, sitting by himself on a sidewalk in La Guaira.
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Scientists have stumbled on a rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica, tucked away for decades in a drawer.
Verb
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One interception attempt resulted in a large explosion that spectacularly blew the roof off a fuel tank.
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After the final whistle blew and this Norway team had made history, Haaland took a moment and looked into the Norwegian cheering section, trying to process what had just happened.
Verb
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Had Pep Guardiola’s side slipped up at a subdued Etihad, then Arsenal and Mikel Arteta could have won the title with victory over Burnley on Monday.
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And while Conrad was the one who slipped up at the peach orchard in Episode 5, Belly’s the one to blame in Seadon 3, Episode 6.
Verb
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But four years ago, Sorsby screwed up in a massive way.
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The two screwed up a top-rope stunner as Excalibur struggled to explain what happened like a 2026 Jim Ross.
Verb
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Mysterio tripped Page onto the second rope, but Page cut off Rey Mysterio with a big boot as Rey attempted a 619.
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The Kospi, half the value of which is made up of just two tech behemoths (SK Hynix and Samsung), tripped another circuit breaker Friday, leading to a 20-minute trading break.
Verb
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If Dennis is murdered or missing, wouldn’t Brian and associates know about it?
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Investigators are still determining what led up to the altercation, how the victim was murdered, and the suspect's motive.
Cite this Entry
“Fouled up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled%20up. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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