SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

fuck up

verb

Definition of fuck up

intransitive verb
usually vulgar : to act foolishly or stupidly : blunder
transitive verb
usually vulgar : to ruin or spoil especially through stupidity or carelessness : bungle

fuckup

play \ˈfək-ˌəp\ noun, usually vulgar

1863

First Known Use of fuck up

1863

WORD OF THE DAY

tare

play

the weight of a container

Words at Play

alt-59721dd897313

The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party

'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

alt-596f730ceb5ae

Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz

A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz

Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game