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
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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As print and television media fumbled their way online, Gawker used the internet to pull back the curtain on celebrity, mainstream media, politics and creeping commercialism.—
Frank DiGiacomo,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
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In its bid to get out in front of the FCC’s inquiry, however, the NFL may have fumbled its advantage over CBS.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Investigators suspect 16-year-old Star Grant and a 28-year-old accomplice killed the girl’s parents and grandmother on May 1 – six days before deputies stumbled onto the crime during a May 7 welfare check, the warrant states.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 May 2026
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The chain had steady growth in 2024, but seems to have stumbled in California.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Authorities said a tractor-trailer car hauler blew a tire while traveling eastbound on I-10 near Valencia Road, causing the truck to hit a guardrail, roll into the median and burst into flames, CBS affiliate KOLD reported.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
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The smoke from the island fire blew east to the California coast and will be impacting air quality early this week, the National Weather Service in San Diego reported.—
Eric Mack,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
13 May 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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The two screwed up a tilt-a-whirl spot, but Breakker made up for it with a standing moonsault.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
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The Sens are going to lose their pick for nothing at all, because of how a GM their fans didn’t like screwed up a trade his team wasn’t even involved in.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hawaii, however, tripped UC Irvine, with the Anteaters falling 3-1 (25-15, 18-25, 18-25, 20-25) in the championship match.—
Jordan Puente,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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McAvoy was ejected for his retaliatory two-handed slash to the right arm of Benson, who seconds earlier tripped him and sent him crashing into the boards.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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He was arrested in May 2024 and was later charged with Vesey’s killing while behind bars, with investigators revealing she had been murdered inside her apartment the day after her 21st birthday on July 12, 1980, officials said.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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Which is horrible, just that amount of women being murdered.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fouled up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouled%20up. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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