cock-ups

noun

plural of cock-up, British
as in shambles

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cock-ups
  1. botches
  2. messes
  3. disasters
  4. fiascoes
  5. catastrophes
Noun
  • 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 botches
Noun
  • Droves of shoppers just bought this over-door organizer that maximizes storage space without taking up a ton of room, and another lot of customers went after this lightweight cordless vacuum that doubles as a handheld for floor-to-ceiling messes.
    — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • Make sure to do this over the sink or outside to prevent messes!
    — Nicole Harris, Parents, 18 July 2026
Definition of messes
Noun
  • Polymarket says its platform is a valuable source of information during disasters.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • Leo had been to hundreds of disasters, mounting life saving operations in earthquakes, floods, landslides.
    — Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
Definition of disasters
Noun
  • Contained within all these fiascoes is a subtly different conservative movement.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Trump is the most corrupt and scandal-plagued president since Nixon; indeed, his fiascoes eclipse Nixon’s, but many of them remain mostly or somewhat hidden, thanks in part to a much more acquiescent Republican Congress than the one Nixon had.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of fiascoes
Noun
  • Prominent voices fear that the end result of the transformative technology is a job bloodbath and national security catastrophes, while others believe a new era of productivity is ready to be unlocked, with society living longer and healthier lives.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 July 2026
  • Healthcare registers the effects of climate catastrophes, ecosystem failures and food shortages that also fuel political and social crises.
    — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of catastrophes
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.

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cock-up
cock-ups
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Cite this Entry

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

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