as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
you've bollixed up the whole thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bollixed (up)
Verb
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Ball security The Hurricanes have fumbled the ball four times in the past two games and lost two of them — one apiece by Malachi Toney (first round against Texas A&M) and Fletcher (quarterfinal against Ohio State).—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2026 -
Kennedy fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone, the source of the noise.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As the curtain came down, Hilty waved and blew kisses to the crowd.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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LaFleur has one year remaining on his contract, and his job status came into question after the Packers blew an 18-point fourth-quarter lead in Saturday night’s 31-27 playoff loss to the Chicago Bears.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The often abrasive Atlas even agrees with June that older generations have screwed up the world for their kids.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
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In a world of near-constant conference realignment and the transfer portal, the annual Red River Rivalry game at the State Fair of Texas is one of the few things the sport hasn’t screwed up.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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McKenzie and Sebastian's decision to embrace the unexpected made their wedding even better when an opposite reaction to the rain could have ruined the whole celebration.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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But becoming the operator ruined the magic.—
Anna Rahmanan,
thehustle.co,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The company aims to scale up its distribution footprint and leverage its physical stores — dubbed Alo Sanctuaries — not just as transactional spaces but hubs for community-building experiences.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
10 Jan. 2026
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But this week, the unwelcome house guest, dubbed Yellow 2120 by researchers, finally got his formal eviction notice.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Bollixed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bollixed%20%28up%29. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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