as in fumbles
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 buggers (up)
Verb
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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 -
As Lester fumbles for his bird whistle in the fountain to activate the camera, he gets thrown back in this tussle with Tillman and is killed.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Coastal communities in southwest Jamaica took the most punishing blows from the storm, with catastrophic flooding and wind damage.—
Terry Ward,
AFAR Media,
30 Oct. 2025
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In the update, Cumberbatch and Colman play a seemingly perfect husband and wife with the perfect family, but underneath the façade is a powder keg of resentment and fierce competition that eventually blows.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison, but his guilt came into question in 1982 when investigators connected the Locci and Lo Bianco murders to the 1974, 1981, and 1982 slayings.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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Ken Woroner—Netflix In Shelley's book, the Creature either directly murders or is responsible for the deaths of several innocent people as part as his quest for vengeance against Victor.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
“Buggers (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buggers%20%28up%29. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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