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
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Recent Examples of flub
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026
His launch was a rocky one, with an unfortunate Teleprompter flub (it was fixed for the west coast version of the broadcast).
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Padilla flubs a line in this version, but the sketch is somehow the better for it.
—Charu Sinha, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flub
Noun
Flores was brilliant this season, but the shine on his achievements was somewhat muted by the team’s flubs.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026
His launch was a rocky one, with an unfortunate Teleprompter flub (it was fixed for the west coast version of the broadcast).
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
The newspaper industry, again and again, has flubbed its chance to propel itself into the future.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Padilla flubs a line in this version, but the sketch is somehow the better for it.
—Charu Sinha, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flub
Noun
-
The back line — still reeling from the departure of center back Adilson Malanda this offseason — shored up its mistakes and stood tall.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The third mistake involves process.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If the creditor fumbles the process, then an otherwise valid and collectible debt may be barred.—
Virginia Hammerle,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Since the first release in December, critics have accused the administration of fumbling the rollout and withholding too many documents.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Spotting this superconducting dome is often a sign that researchers have stumbled onto the right ingredients for high-temperature superconductivity.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The man then tripped, stumbling to the ground.—
Andrew Adeolu,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With Israel’s borderlands in ruins and hundreds of its citizens taken hostage, the country’s voters could no longer countenance their leader’s quietism, which now looked like a historic blunder.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
-
In the experiments, observers consistently judged everyday blunders to be relatively harmless, even when the person committing them appeared mortified.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Big East acknowledged after the game the officials blew the calls.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Back on the ground in Atlanta, transformers start to blow, a helicopter falls out of the sky, and the electrical grid is completely down.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Raiders’ good fortunes went south as the referee called two controversial penalty kicks for tripping, and Ricky Kase converted — one in the 32nd minute and the other in the 64th — allowing the Seahawks to tie the game.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The goal was ill-gotten, as the officials missed Perfetti tripping Mason McTavish, a play that led directly to the scoring sequence.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While minimally invasive procedures have improved cardiac care, the heart’s complex anatomy and constant motion require rigorous hands-on training to reduce procedural errors.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Keller said the key for students is learning which AI models fit which tasks, how to write useful prompts and how to check results for errors.—
Wilborn P. Nobles III,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Or rather, none of it happens without the Rockies botching the Arenado thing so badly that CEO Dick Monfort and the family felt obligated to take this massive swing to try and replace him.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The Yankees trailed the Blue Jays 2-1 in the seventh inning, when what should have been an inning-ending double-play groundball was hit to Chisholm, who botched it.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flub. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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