foul-up
noun
1
: a state of confusion or an error caused by ineptitude, carelessness, or mismanagement
foul-ups in transportation
2
: a mechanical difficulty
Examples of foul-up in a Sentence
there was a foul-up with our mail order, and not one item arrived as ordered
Recent Examples on the Web
Alas, Florida’s Isaiah Brown split the freebies to leave the door open (and take away a foul-up 3 strategy).
—
Devon Henderson, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2026
After Aaron Gordon split a pair of free throws, Jones and Cam Johnson successfully executed the foul-up-three strategy on consecutive Laker possessions, only for the free throw to go awry.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
There are fewer opportunities for foul-ups and mishandling between flights when there are fewer connections and layovers.
—Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 5 Mar. 2025
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
What had seemed like abandonment turned out to be a pet-sitting foul-up, but the owner also needed help with some veterinary issues, said Kris Lindsay, who oversees the recovery center.
—Jennifer Peltz, ajc, 7 May 2023
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
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Devon Henderson, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2026
After Aaron Gordon split a pair of free throws, Jones and Cam Johnson successfully executed the foul-up-three strategy on consecutive Laker possessions, only for the free throw to go awry.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
There are fewer opportunities for foul-ups and mishandling between flights when there are fewer connections and layovers.
—Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 5 Mar. 2025
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
What had seemed like abandonment turned out to be a pet-sitting foul-up, but the owner also needed help with some veterinary issues, said Kris Lindsay, who oversees the recovery center.
—Jennifer Peltz, ajc, 7 May 2023
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
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foul-up. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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