as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I swear, she mucks up everything she tries
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Recent Examples of mucked up
Well, the first and third mucked up their stories with some overly contrived lore about cults and gods, and the fourth was an experiment for the formula that didn’t quite work.
—
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Lawmakers need to get back to Washington to end the government shutdown - a shutdown that has mucked up travel plans around the country by contributing to widespread flight delays.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Lawmakers need to get back to Washington to end the government shutdown - a shutdown that has mucked up travel plans around the country by contributing to widespread flight delays.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mucked up
Verb
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In turn, the Heat fumbled it away.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
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The attempt to create a viable and vibrant residential hub arrives after years of neglect and fumbled strategies by the prior owner, an affiliate of real estate firm Z&L Properties.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kid Rock‘s lip-synch was screwed up.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
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The climate may get screwed up in new ways as scientists attempt to turn the planet’s temperature dial down.—
Christian Elliott,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Back then, the average team still featured three starters who threw enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, probably had an ace who blew past 200 innings and had multiple pitchers with double-digit wins.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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After Lathan Sommerville drew consecutive trips to the line, and no whistle blew when Dent was contacted on a drive, Cronin ran onto the court, throwing his fists in anger, and yelling at an official.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Certain songs could be ruined forever.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
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Romero’s red card for a foul on Casemiro in the 29th minute of Tottenham’s defeat to Manchester United on Saturday ruined Frank’s game plan.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The book's Japanese translator was murdered, and others associated with it were attacked.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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In a desperate bid to recover his losses, he's murdered after fixing a boxing match.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In college, my roommates and I painted our front door pink and thus, our home was henceforth dubbed 'Pink Door'.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
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Officially dubbed the Air Max Goadome Cowboy Boot, the black leather shoe has double monk strap embossed with Public School branding wrapping across the tongue.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mucked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucked%20up. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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