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)
Verb
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Trump said, fumbling for words.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026 -
But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Instead, he was left with his tail between his legs and claimed that the Spurs actually dominated the series despite blowing leads in all four of their losses.—
Ryan Gaydos OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Swift was also seen at the game blowing a kiss to the camera.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Verb
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First of all, don’t hide misdeeds and screwups, which comes naturally by not committing misdeeds and not screwing up.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
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Right now, Iranians are blaming, appropriately, the regime for screwing up the country.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Even when there’s a disparity in talent, Cronin has a history of inspiring grit, or strategically mucking up games to mask that deficiency.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Year-long court battles have been waged over exactly how clean the water in the Everglades has to be without fouling up the whole system.—
Alex Harris
July 3,
Miami Herald,
3 July 2025
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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 17 Jun. 2026.
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