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
Relevance
1
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
2
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.
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Recent Examples of foul-up
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Rather, inflation had arisen from supply chain foul-ups caused by the Covid epidemic, an act of God rendered worse by comic-opera mismanagement under President Donald Trump.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
Alex Harris
july 3, Miami Herald, 3 July 2025
But Paige has been there, injuries fouling up her career, too.
—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Noun
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
Rather, inflation had arisen from supply chain foul-ups caused by the Covid epidemic, an act of God rendered worse by comic-opera mismanagement under President Donald Trump.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
Verb
Year-long court battles have been waged over exactly how clean the water in the Everglades has to be without fouling up the whole system.
—Alex Harris
july 3, Miami Herald, 3 July 2025
But Paige has been there, injuries fouling up her career, too.
—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul-up
Noun
-
That’s because investors often interpret diversity crises as signs of systemic failure, rather than isolated mistakes.—
Prachi Gala,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Same for Dax Hill, focusing on going back to work and correcting mistakes.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
After taking an early 3-0 lead and forcing the Ravens to punt on their opening series, Tahj Washington fumbled after a catch and Baltimore’s Alohi Gilman scooped it up and returned it to Miami’s 7, setting up Jackson’s first touchdown pass to Mark Andrews.—
Andre Fernandez,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In Week 2, McCarthy played poorly, throwing two interceptions and fumbling three times.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In between all of that, a botched tripping call early in the second quarter took a huge pass play off the board for Miami, which would have gotten the Dolphins inside Baltimore’s 10-yard line.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
-
McDaniel was blunt about his view of the tripping call against Ollie Gordon that negated a long completion to Jaylen Waddle.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Hudson experienced the inverse of the Megan mix-up while attending a recent NFL Super Bowl game.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
-
No illnesses have been reported, but the mix-up poses a risk to people with an allergy or sensitivity to hazelnuts.—
Jani Hall,
Health,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The crowd at the Rogers Centre nearly blew the roof off the place as Bichette jogged around the bases.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
-
That team pulled off this same trick, blowing the doors off all comers until slipping past USC.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Although the discovery has only now been formally studied, cavers from the Czech Speleological Society first stumbled upon the phenomenon in 2022 during an expedition in Vromoner Canyon.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Uber reported strong growth in its third-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, but stumbled on the bottom line after absorbing a $479 million charge for what the company described as undisclosed legal and regulatory matters.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The abrupt departure stunned the crowd, prompting confusion both in the audience and among his bandmates.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Teddy’s reasoning is a confusion of save-the-world alarmism, garden-variety derangement, unhealed trauma, and single-minded revenge.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After screwing up his job interview, Anders tries to see his sister, who’s been burned by him one too many times and sends her girlfriend to run interference.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
What all happens that screws up everything?—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul-up. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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