FOULED UP Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

fouled up

verb

past tense of foul up

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

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

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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouled up

Verb

But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 June 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

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.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 13 May 2026
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.

— Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Definition of slipped up

Verb

Egypt had taken a surprising lead in the 15th minute, but Argentina was quickly given the chance to level the match when Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolás Tagliafico in the box moments later.

— Kaylah Jackson, NBC news, 8 July 2026
Argentina was quickly given the chance to level the match when Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolas Tagliafico in the box moments later.

— James Robson, Twin Cities, 7 July 2026

Definition of tripped

Verb

In October 2023, when Hamas broke out of Gaza and murdered hundreds of Israelis, most of them civilians, Netanyahu looked done for.

— Ian Bremmer, Time, 14 July 2026
Popham murdered Elaine on November 1, 1979, after striking her from behind with frying pans, rendering her unconscious, and then shooting her in the head with Bunyard’s shotgun in the garage.

— Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026

Definition of murdered

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fouled

fouled up

fouling

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Style

“Fouled up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled%20up. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of fouled up

verb

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