as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
when she was told her information was wrong, she apologized for the flub and immediately corrected it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
added too much flour and flubbed the gravy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
at some point in your training you're going to flub, so don't let it rattle you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flub
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Minaj appeared to immediately grasp her flub, covered her face and went silent for several awkward seconds.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 22 Dec. 2025
Charu Sinha, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2025
The comedian eventually flubbed a line and broke into laughter while performing the sketch on live TV.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flub
Noun
Prior to the flub, Foster discussed her background as a fluent French speaker.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Minaj appeared to immediately grasp her flub, covered her face and went silent for several awkward seconds.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 22 Dec. 2025
Verb
Padilla flubs a line in this version, but the sketch is somehow the better for it.
—Charu Sinha, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2025
The comedian eventually flubbed a line and broke into laughter while performing the sketch on live TV.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flub
Noun
-
Cole Caufield served notice that Team USA made a grave mistake leaving him off the Olympic team, but Morgan Geekie’s deuce trumped the brilliant Montreal Canadiens forward’s hat trick in the Bruins’ thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 win at TD Garden on Saturday night.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The other side of that coin is that the lengthy language might make mistakes and open the door to interpretations that undercut the law.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Beauty products have taken over my sink, leaving me fumbling for my go-to face washes and serums every morning and night.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The Steelers failed to capitalize on the miscues from a jittery Stroud, who fumbled twice and threw a pick deep in Pittsburgh territory.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.—
Hannah Fingerhut,
Twin Cities,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Dutcher and his staff might have stumbled on something.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The blunder in the Supreme Court of Victoria state is another in a litany of mishaps AI has caused in justice systems around the world.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
That was indicative of how Buffalo’s blunders proved costly.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But aerospace engineers at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a material that blows those two out of the water with nearly thrice the thermal conductivity.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The shuttle just suddenly blew apart.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Reviewers say that this model’s eco mode outputs just the right amount of heat without tripping your breaker.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The operators likely see green lights and stable voltage readings on their screens even as transformers are overloading and breakers are tripping in the physical world.—
Saman Zonouz,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Allowing Russia or China to dictate the terms of Arctic commerce would be a strategic error with lasting consequences.—
Paul McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
-
When teams have not been rigorously tested in realistic, high-pressure environments, automation can become a force multiplier for errors.—
James Hadley,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Officials have renewed their search for an inspector general candidate after the city botched the process last year.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Since the company first started lifting the satellites to space in 2019, streaks of light have botched countless observations.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flub. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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