COCK-UP Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

cock-up

noun

Definition of cock-up

British

as in shambles

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cock-up

Noun

Of course this was a calculated power play, not a bureaucratic botch.

— U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
During last week's WWE SmackDown, a series of mistakes and botches drew harsh criticism from fans.

— Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025

Definition of botch

Noun

Andy Burnham will become the United Kingdom’s seventh prime minister in a decade on Monday, and must face the consequences of a bond market fiasco from three administrations ago.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 July 2026
Now, though, the American team’s customary Round-of-16 exit, the Balogun fiasco and FIFA’s shady past recede as the overriding art of soccer/football/futbol at ts best takes over with a final four for the ages.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

Definition of fiasco

Noun

Although its advocates may claim inspiration from both the Great Society tradition of the Democratic Party and Nordic-style democratic socialism, consumer socialism is really a muddle of the two.

— Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
Between the players on the pitch, the coaches, the pundits and the public, there seems to be a muddle of agendas.

— Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of muddle

Noun

For the second year in a row, this quiet Hill Country town is digging itself out of a catastrophe that has mercilessly taken a community trying to heal and set them back on the path of mourning.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Every child identified before a catastrophe reminds us that statistics represent real people.

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026

Definition of catastrophe

Noun

The debacle began in May, when the state legislature passed a measure to reform the court system in changes that were backed by Murrill.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2026
After hiring away half of Fickell’s staff the past few seasons, there’s probably a healthy animosity between the coaches that locks Freeman into a mode that prevents a Northern Illinois or Marshall or Stanford type of debacle.

— Pete Sampson, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of debacle

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cocktails

cock-up

cock-ups

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“Cock-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cock-up. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of cock-up

noun

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