foul-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈfau̇(-ə)l-ˌəp

Synonyms of foul-up next

: a state of confusion or an error caused by ineptitude, carelessness, or mismanagement

foul-ups in transportation

: a mechanical difficulty

foul up

2 of 2

verb

fouled up; fouling up; fouls up

transitive verb

: to make dirty : contaminate

: to spoil by making mistakes or using poor judgment : confuse

: entangle, block

fouled up communications

intransitive verb

: to cause a foul-up : bungle

it was his fault. He had fouled up—

Pat Frank

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 meeting

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

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

Verb

See the stunning shot... AIRLINE 'CHAOS' – A flight was canceled after someone fouled up the aircraft amid delays. —

Fox News Staff, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2023 Indiana opted to foul up three, Dug McDaniel made the first then intentionally missed the second, Thompson grabbing the rebound. —

Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023 Bee digestion breaks down the sucrose within nectar into glucose and fructose, which are an excellent food source for microbes like yeast that could foul up the honey stores. —

Darren Incorvaia, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2021 Those intruders chop down the jungles and foul up the wetlands, as the spirits mount an offensive to drive them off the shorelines. —

Luke Winkie, The Atlantic, 22 July 2021 But a foul up with super formula license points stole that dream away. —

Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 3 May 2021 The foul up with the referees is a bit of surprise given Indianapolis' reputation for being an effective host city for large-scale events —and the importance of this event to the city and its reputation. —

Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Mar. 2021 Then come foul up, goof up, gum up, mess up, muck up, screw up and synonymous unprintables. —

Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2021 That’s how the Patriots can score, by fooling the other team or forcing it to foul up. —

BostonGlobe.com, 18 Nov. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foul-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.