muck up

verb

Definition of muck upnext
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way I swear, she mucks up everything she tries

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of muck up Teams continue to sag off Hart in the half court to try to muck up New York’s offense. — James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026 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 At least not Will Welch, GQ’s longstanding editor-in-chief and global editorial director, who was absolutely zen about the threat of an atmospheric river mucking up the mag’s Men of the Year celebration last night. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
  1. fumble
  2. blow
  3. screw up
  4. foul up
  5. ruin
  6. boot
Verb
  • Lake Brantley appeared to have picked up the first down on third down but the ball was fumbled backwards to put the Patriots in fourth and long.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026
  • After Carter Jensen flew out to deep center field, Caglianone tagged from second base and kept running toward home as outfielder Andy Pages fumbled the baseball out of his glove.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumble
Verb
  • California is attempting to build the nation's first bullet train, a project that's ballooned in cost and has blown through deadline after deadline for more than a decade.
    — Julie Watts, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The technology adapts the physics of Helmholtz resonance, which is the physical phenomenon behind the hum produced by blowing across a bottle neck.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • Every time a player screwed up, the coaching staff and his teammates received a text message, calling out both the infraction and the guilty party.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • That growth is mostly a testament to how screwed up our school bus system currently is.
    — Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of screw up
Verb
  • In the end, though, neither an explosion nor a giant spill of fluid that could foul up waterways and the ocean occurred.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
  • An incorrect connection or approach can foul up a line, damage a plane or cause an accident.
    — Tara Copp The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
Definition of foul up
Verb
  • Campione said her campaign was focused on protecting rural lands from being annexed into cities for rural subdivisions and stopping activities that could ruin water quality or override property rights.
    — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But the mellow vibes are ruined when a goofy case of mistaken identity results in Frankie coming home with a briefcase containing several vials of a glowing orange goo.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • Little League on Monday ruled that Tulsa National Little League's 12U team had an ineligible player on the roster and booted it from the Southwest Region Tournament, the final stop before the Little League World Series.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • O’Hare booted members of the public from the room for the meeting for disrupting decorum, instead inviting speakers to address the commissioners one-by-one.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of boot

Browse Nearby Words

mucks up
muck up
mucky
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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