foul-up
noun
\
Definition of foul-up
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a state of confusion or an error caused by ineptitude, carelessness, or mismanagement foul-ups in transportation
2 : a mechanical difficulty
foul up
verbDefinition of foul up (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to make dirty : contaminate
2 : to spoil by making mistakes or using poor judgment : confuse
: to cause a foul-up : bungle it was his fault. He had fouled up— Pat Frank
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Synonyms for foul-up
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
blow, bobble, boggle, bollix (up), boot, botch, bumble, bungle, butcher, dub, flub, fluff, foozle, fumble, goof (up), louse up, mangle, mess (up), muck up, muff, murder, screw up
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Examples of foul-up in a Sentence
Verb
tried not to foul up the football play unfortunately, I fouled up and in my e-mail gave everyone the wrong date for the meetingRecent Examples on the Web: Verb
Got there late, being fouled up en route by getting on wrong tube. — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "Service Diary of a Corpsman: Roy L. Wall, LST 509," 28 May 2018 Radiation fouled up their microprocessors and camera components. — Krista Stevens, Longreads, "Little Sunfish: The Robot That Could," 1 May 2018 And a trade fight between the U.S. jetmaker and Bombardier Inc. threatens to foul up a separate deal that’s key to Delta’s fleet plans. — Time, "Delta Is Saying Goodbye to its Boeing 747, the 'Queen of the Skies'," 20 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foul-up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for foul-up
foul-up
noun
English Language Learners Definition of foul-up
: a problem caused by someone making a mistake or being careless
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