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
Relevance
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouled up
Verb
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Payton fumbled on the second play from scrimmage, and the Patriots recovered at the Bears' 19-yard line.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026 -
To do so, the Patriots must keep enough heat off Drake Maye, who has taken 10 sacks and fumbled six times in the playoffs.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some customers have stumbled upon the bubble waffle shop while scrolling on their phones.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Even some of the most sophisticated left-leaning groups have stumbled.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a December meeting, commissioners acknowledged customers’ frustrations, but added that the winds blew down hundreds of power lines onto the dry landscape.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
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Others banged on pots and pans and drums, blew whistles and honked car horns.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even the Chargers special teams had slipped up, as returner Derius Davis fumbled a kickoff return in the third quarter that led directly to 3 Broncos points.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
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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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The often abrasive Atlas even agrees with June that older generations have screwed up the world for their kids.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
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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
Verb
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Today, Morgan responded to some Good Morning Britain banter in which the show’s presenters jokingly suggested Morgan might have tripped after imbibing.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
19 Jan. 2026
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The former was able to push the puck to Wyatt Kaiser and then tripped Mittelstadt, which allowed Kaiser to skate into the open slot unabated.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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James Folta Talks to Bookseller Angela Schwesnedl Angela Schwesnedl from Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis picked up my phone call on Saturday almost two hours to the minute after Alex Pretti was murdered in the street by ICE officers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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Eger watched her parents taken away to the gas chambers where more than a million people, primarily of Jewish descent, were murdered.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Fouled up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled%20up. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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