FOUL UP Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

foul-up 1 of 2

noun

ˈfau̇(-ə)l-ˌəp

Definition of foul-up

as in mistake

an instance of confusion there was a foul-up with our mail order, and not one item arrived as ordered

Synonyms & Similar Words

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foul up

2 of 2

verb

as in to fumble

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way tried not to foul up the football play

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to trip

to make a mistake unfortunately, I fouled up and in my e-mail gave everyone the wrong date for the meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of foul-up

Noun

There are fewer opportunities for foul-ups and mishandling between flights when there are fewer connections and layovers. — Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 5 Mar. 2025 That foul-up then gets included in the series of questions and answers, causing the final answer to go askew. — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024

Verb

But their strategy was fouled up when the car’s occupants switched on the headlights, throwing a glare up the tote road along which the wardens had planned to sprint. — Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026 Wild turkeys gobbled up Staten Island straphangers’ time on Monday, after a flock fouled up service on the Staten Island Railway. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for foul-up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul-up

Noun

Avoiding these debt relief mistakes can help keep costs under control and improve your chances of a successful outcome.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 13 July 2026
This was deliberate and not a fashion or ordered-the-wrong-size-on-Amazon mistake.

— Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026

Definition of mistake

Verb

In March, Melissa Graybill, 52, watched her mother, who is 69, begin an arduous recovery journey after tripping while getting off a horse.

— Erica Sloan, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
Most drug development campaigns only discover whether candidates trip this sensor late in the game, forcing drug developers to go back to the drawing board.

— Brittany Trang, STAT, 14 July 2026

Definition of trip

Noun

The mix-up may have contributed to souring the communication between the legal teams of the companies, whose relationship appears to be increasingly frayed.

— NBC news, NBC news, 15 July 2026
Flav would go on to attend the Clark County Commission meeting in May to get preliminary approval for the event — and go viral for a hilarious mix-up about his name.

— Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026

Definition of mix-up

Verb

The huge animals knocked bodies to the cobblestones, and stumbling runners caused several pileups during the two-and-a-half-minute run from the pen to the bull ring where bullfighters will kill the bulls later in the day.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
The huge animals knocked down bodies to the cobblestones, and stumbling runners caused several pileups during the 2½-minute run from the pen to the bullring where bullfighters would kill the bulls later in the day.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

Definition of stumble

Noun

The 2017 Open Championship, which Spieth won despite — perhaps because of — a 22-minute ordeal of confusion, patience and a whole lot of running up and down a steep hill of thick, shrubby dune grass.

— Brody Miller, New York Times, 14 July 2026
Still, as the clock creeped closer to midnight, and fans also heard that supposedly Jay-Z had to end the show by midnight, confusion reigned with many people suspecting the concert might get canceled.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026

Definition of confusion

Browse Nearby Words

fouls up

foul-up

foul up

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul-up. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of foul-up

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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