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
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Recent Examples of fouled up
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
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouled up
Verb
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Dallas stumbled, fumbled and grumbled its way to a 122-92 loss, which was somehow not its most lopsided game of the season.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
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And the counseling office fumbled it.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Season 1, the publication of Lee’s latest exposé – a deep dive into the powerful Washberg family – is immediately followed by the suspicious suicide of Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), and Lee knows he’s stumbled onto something big.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
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But the Illini stumbled by losing four of six after that before winning their final two against bottom-dwellers Oregon and Maryland.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Big East acknowledged after the game the officials blew the calls.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Anything before not worth thinking about since this was the performance that stuck with me, the one that blew me away and turned me into a jazz fiend.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There’s Championship action on Monday, when Middlesbrough travel to Sheffield United knowing a win will lift them to the top of the table, after Coventry City slipped up again on Saturday.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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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.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That might be kind of screwed up.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
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That seems like our priorities are screwed up.—
Terry Gross,
NPR,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Then Nelson dances a guy in the neutral zone and gets tripped … like, that’s what the penalties are for.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
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As the group went to leave Hughes’ Gainesville home in two separate vehicles, the beloved teacher tripped on the slippery roadway and fell into the street, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Davis believes her ex-husband was murdered, although a coroner ruled his death an overdose, the attorney said.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
9 Mar. 2026
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Murder is only a federal crime under certain circumstances, including when a person is murdered to prevent them or someone else from sharing information with federal authorities.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fouled up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled%20up. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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