1
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
tried not to foul up the football play
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbled
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
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Recent Examples of fouled up
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
Karaban almost had a costly turnover on an inbound play with 14 seconds left, but the Huskies fouled up three and Mulready split his free throw attempts, setting up the game-clinching freebies from the Huskies’ captain.
—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
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
Karaban almost had a costly turnover on an inbound play with 14 seconds left, but the Huskies fouled up three and Mulready split his free throw attempts, setting up the game-clinching freebies from the Huskies’ captain.
—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouled up
Verb
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Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
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After South Korea’s goalkeeper fumbled a ball, Luis Romo scored the goal that gave the Mexicans six points and pushed them to the top of the standings.
Verb
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Once seen as the Fox News for the next generation of conservatives, the Daily Wire has stumbled over the last several years.
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Through a connection, Jobs stumbled upon what was then the computer animation division of Star Wars creator George Lucas’ production company Lucasfilm and was immediately impressed, wrote Walter Isaacson in his biography of the Apple cofounder.
Verb
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Messi somehow blew a penalty kick in the eighth minute, when teammate Lautaro Martinez was brought down by Austrian defender Stefan Posch.
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Several hours before the whistle blew on the pitch, Norwegian fans flocked to Times Square in the heart of New York City to give their squad a proper sendoff.
Verb
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Had Pep Guardiola’s side slipped up at a subdued Etihad, then Arsenal and Mikel Arteta could have won the title with victory over Burnley on Monday.
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And while Conrad was the one who slipped up at the peach orchard in Episode 5, Belly’s the one to blame in Seadon 3, Episode 6.
Verb
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But four years ago, Sorsby screwed up in a massive way.
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The two screwed up a top-rope stunner as Excalibur struggled to explain what happened like a 2026 Jim Ross.
Verb
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On occasion, reporters quite literally tripped and fell over tripods and camera setups while the unfazed athletes answered a line of seemingly never-ending rapid-fire questions.
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Pulisic left that game with an injury to his right leg after being tripped by Australian defender Jason Geria.
Verb
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Thirty years after she was murdered, Aimee Willard is still honoring her legacy with a garden of sunflowers in Delaware County.
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Later on, Jaehaerys II is murdered in the episode’s climax.
Cite this Entry
“Fouled up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled%20up. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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