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

Relevance

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

On the fifth, Malik Washington fumbled after a 30-yard catch and run.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
For all of the anticipation of an explosive new offensive attack sparked by the arrival of new coordinator Mike McDaniel, the Chargers stumbled and fumbled their way through their season debut.

— Doug Haller, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

While Mayfield is 3-0 in Week 1 since coming to Tampa Bay in 2023, Burrow and the Bengals have often stumbled out of the gate.

— Joe Reedy, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
On this day in 1940, four teenage boys stumbled upon one of the world’s most significant archaeological finds—through a fox’s den, 50 feet down to an underground passageway, and into a network of caves.

— Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 10, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of stumbled

Verb

From our first conversations, Jon blew us away with his intelligence and deep creative insights about how to craft great stories.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
The new Manchester City manager had already danced down the touchline to celebrate in front of the joyous away fans as soon as referee Michael Oliver blew the final whistle on a game that City had no right to win.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of blew

Verb

The Iberians slipped up big time in their first match of the tournament, being shocked by Switzerland 1-0, bringing back ghosts of tournament failures past for Spanish fans.

— Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
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

Definition of slipped up

Verb

That doesn’t mean the Yankees screwed up in their process by trading for Stanton.

— Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Every time a player screwed up, the coaching staff and his teammates received a text message, calling out both the infraction and the guilty party.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of screwed up

Verb

An older man to my right tripped and took a face-first dive across the pavement, glasses flying off his face.

— Timothy Townsend, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Mizzou tripped Kansas 42-31 last season in Columbia, went 4-1 against the Jayhawks uninterrupted from 2007-11 at Arrowhead Stadium and also conquered KU 42-17 in 2006 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of tripped

Verb

When Thorwald’s wife is nowhere to be seen the next day, Jeff is convinced that Thorwald murdered and dismembered her.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026
And though the plot of Kidman’s abusive boyfriend Jimmy Angelov (played by Goran Visnjic) felt jarring to some, Dunne personally related, as his sister, actress Dominique Dunne, was murdered by her ex in 1982.

— Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of murdered

Browse Nearby Words

fouled

fouled up

fouling

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fouled up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled%20up. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fouled up

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quorum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes