bollixing (up)

verb

present participle of bollix (up)
as in fumbling
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 bollixing (up)
  1. fumbling
  2. blowing
  3. screwing up
  4. mucking up
Verb
  • Most of the world was fumbling and scared, and Fauci seemed to have some idea of what to do.
    — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Achane, the Miami Dolphins’ starting tailback, was referring to Ollie Gordon II fumbling the ball away in Wednesday practice, the team’s first of training camp.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
Definition of fumbling
Verb
  • Police said Bessent, who had no license, drove more than 118 mph, blowing through red lights before crashing into a Chevrolet Cruz.
    — Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Companies are struggling with AI spending, exemplified by Uber blowing its annual budget in four months without clear benefits.
    — Vinay Kuruvila, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of blowing
Verb
  • So not screwing up Spider-Man is about putting a beating heart at the center rather than a bunch of spectacle.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The fear of failure can do as much harm as actually screwing up.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of screwing up
Verb
  • Amid the memory shortage that's mucking up component prices globally, at least Qualcomm has some promising news for folks hoping to pay less for a daily driver.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026
  • At least not Will Welch, GQ’s longstanding editor-in-chief and global editorial director, who was absolutely zen about the threat of an atmospheric river mucking up the mag’s Men of the Year celebration last night.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Definition of mucking up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

bollixes (up)
bollixing (up)
bollix (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Bollixing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bollixing%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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