as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I've somehow buggered up the program again
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugger (up)
Verb
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Jaylen Wright fumbled on a hit from safety John Saunders Jr.... Grayson Murphy sacked Wilson, who nevertheless threw the ball to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for a 30 yard TD pass...—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
2 Aug. 2025 -
Playing their third road game in five days, the expansion team nearly fumbled a 17-point, first-half lead but got enough stops down the stretch to escape with a 68-67 win over the Washington Mystics on Thursday.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The foghorn blew every 30 seconds and pelicans sailed above, doing a quick half corkscrew turn before diving.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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United’s prospective new owner, Michael Knighton, was on the pitch beforehand, ball-juggling and blowing kisses to the crowd, and Neil Webb smashed one in from 25 yards on his debut — wild stuff, honestly (yeah, get on with it, Grandad).—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Also, if Utah or Miami were to score an upset in the opening round, St. Louis would have first dibs at taking that team instead of Orlando, which would foul up these predictions completely.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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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
Verb
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Episode 4 flips the script on the trope of a friend screwing up by mouthing off to the wrong person at the worst time.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
6 Aug. 2025
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That’s obviously the most ambitious goal on the table for us, because that whole system is clearly screwed up almost beyond repair unless somebody else comes in and upends it all.—
Frank DiGiacomo,
Billboard,
21 July 2025
Verb
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Her Altadena home and the surrounding community were ruined by the Eaton wildfires that ripped through Los Angeles in January.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
14 Aug. 2025
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bugger (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugger%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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