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
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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
-
Let the rookie learn on the fly, make mistakes, and grow.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Get your fruit trees off to a strong start by avoiding these common planting mistakes.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
He was sacked seven times and fumbled twice with both loose balls being recovered by the Bills’ defense.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Oct. 2025
-
But that same quarter, Kansas fumbled on a punt that K-State turned into a touchdown.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Nicholas trips over a bramble, falls to his hands and knees in the soaking grass.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Marchand had a shot on goal five seconds into the game, drew a tripping penalty 33 seconds into the game and tallied the primary assist on Mackie Samoskevich’s goal on the ensuing power play.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Rather than being upset, Luca decided to share the bizarre discovery with humor, posting a lighthearted video about his mistaken identity mix-up.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
When the topic of on-camera bloopers came up, Melvin, 46, recalled a mix-up that could’ve led to some legal issues for the NBC morning show.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Giants, meanwhile, are coming off a painful defeat to the Denver Broncos, after blowing a 19-0 lead and losing 33-32 on a last-second Denver field goal after missing two PATs of their own, including one with 37 seconds left.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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After the final whistle blew at Memorial Stadium, Kiffin made some headlines for his postgame behavior toward an Oklahoma player.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Most people don’t accidentally stumble into building a multimillion-dollar empire.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The trio stumbles upon a crucial piece of evidence - and promptly compromises it.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 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
-
Managers can either screw up or screw up slightly less than the other guy.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
In a world of near-constant conference realignment and the transfer portal, the annual Red River Rivalry game at the State Fair of Texas is one of the few things the sport hasn’t screwed up.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul-up. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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