Synonyms of dropped the ball

dropped the ball

phrase

past tense of drop the ball

as in fumbled

to make a mistake

I'm so sorry I dropped the ball and forgot to buy the wine for the dinner party.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fumbled
• stumbled
• slipped up
• tripped
• laid an egg
• screwed up
• fouled up
• blundered
• goofed (up)
• erred
• messed (up)
• nodded
• fluffed
• flubbed
• loused up
• misunderstood
• boobed
• mistook
• murdered
• mangled
• botched
• bungled
• misjudged
• foozled
• butchered
• muffed
• misconceived
• miscalculated
• misgauged
• misinterpreted
• mishandled
• misdeemed
• misconstrued
• bobbled
• miscounted
• miscued

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dropped the ball

Yankees star Alex Rodriguez distracted Blue Jays third baseman Howie Clark by shouting at him on a key pop-up during the ninth inning, which spawned a near-fight after the infielder dropped the ball and a run scored. — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Boston went ahead 3-2 in the fifth after reliever Jakob Junis dropped the ball while on the rubber, resulting in a balk that sent a runner home from third base. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

The Rays were an out away from a 3-1 loss when DeLuca delivered a two-out home run down the left field line that got a little help getting over the 4-foot, 11-inch fence as Samad Taylor appeared to make the catch, then dropped the ball on contact. — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2026

That’s because the Miami Dolphins rookie wide receiver ran a slant and dropped the ball that quarterback Malik Willis fired his way. — Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026

New York running back Tyrone Tracy took a handoff and dropped the ball untouched. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

With men on first and third and nobody out that inning, second baseman Jackson Holliday fielded a tough grounder and threw to second, but shortstop Gunnar Henderson dropped the ball for an error and everyone was safe. — CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

Following up Saturday’s outing, Garrett Nussmeier saw undrafted rookie wide receiver Jacob De Jesus break free downfield and dropped the ball in for a score. — Kansas City Star, 17 Aug. 2026

France then took off for home, but because Tovar quickly ran over to grab the ball and because France is not fast, there would have been a close play at the plate had Tovar not dropped the ball after picking it up. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2026