as in fumbles
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 bollixes (up)
Verb
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This makes the Legion Tower a fine set-it-and-forget-it PC gaming rig that fumbles on upgradability, which many PC gamers find crucial.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025 -
The premise has the potential for slapstick silliness, as an incompetent Seoul family fumbles its way through opening a hunting lodge in the Korean countryside.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As with other members of the poplar family such as quaking aspen, the part of the tree that attaches the leaf to the branch is several inches long, causing leaves to flap rapidly from side to side when the wind blows.—
Sheryl DeVore,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
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These sting operations disrupt networks for a moment, but the underlying infrastructure remains intact long after the final whistle blows.—
Scott Douglas Gerber,
Sun Sentinel,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Again, don't wring the suit, which ruins the shape.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 June 2026
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As always happens at the start of Scream films — the franchise that 2000's and 2026's Scary Movie films take as their lodestar — the Ghostface killer turns up and ruins everything.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 June 2026
Verb
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After Henry murders his sister and mother and makes his father the fall guy, this place becomes known as the Murder House in Hawkins.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
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At least one of the families of the four victims in the Moscow college student murders plans to sue the nearby university where the man who admitted to the killings attended graduate school.—
Kevin Fixler
November 19,
Idaho Statesman,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Dominic Zvada boots a 31-yard field goal to give the Wolverines the lead.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This results in what Atlassian dubs the fragmentation tax.—
Shani Harmon,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Claire meets strange apothecary Master Raymond, who dubs her La Dame Blanche.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What all happens that screws up everything?—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
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Ego screws up most of the things in this life.—
Jason Mastrodonato,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bollixes (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bollixes%20%28up%29. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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