fouling up

verb

present participle of foul up
1
as in fumbling
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 stumbling
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 fouling up Then police closed that, too — at midafternoon Tuesday after a report of a suspicious package — fouling up traffic for New Yorkers even more. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fouling up
  1. fumbling
  2. stumbling
  3. screwing up
  4. slipping up
  5. blowing
  6. tripping
  7. mucking up
Verb
  • The FactPostNews accounts gained millions of new followers and billions of impressions across platforms, and the organization largely avoided becoming a story itself after fumbling the release of its 2024 autopsy report.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
  • His wife, Galina, a noble beauty, excels at the role of the plumed bird in a cage and yet suffers for it, fumbling around awkwardly for an escape.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of fumbling
Verb
  • After stumbling into an intro to acting class, the 28-year-old quickly caught the professor’s attention.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The Chargers are the NFL’s only remaining winless team, stumbling to an 0-6 start for the first time since 2000.
    — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumbling
Verb
  • New York landing Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker — who has emerged as the draft’s top quarterback prospect — would be a painful blow to Miami, though the Jets have a long tradition of screwing up young QBs.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
  • So not screwing up Spider-Man is about putting a beating heart at the center rather than a bunch of spectacle.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of screwing up
Verb
  • Arsenal are firmly in title-chasing mode and goal difference could still prove crucial, despite Manchester City slipping up against Everton on Monday.
    — Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 7 May 2026
  • But knowing Olson’s proclivity for slipping up in hysterical fashion made the match that much more appealing.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Definition of slipping up
Verb
  • The professional and business services sector, as the agency classifies it, gained 70,000 jobs, blowing past its average monthly gain of 15,000 over the past year.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Electric fireplaces produce heat by blowing air over heated coils or with infrared light and can be used with or without the heating function engaged.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of blowing
Verb
  • Pittsburgh forward Tommy Novak, who scored and added an assist during a third-period rally, was called for tripping shortly after the teams returned to even strength.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Without adequate calf muscle strength, the calf muscles can fatigue quickly, leading to foot dragging or tripping.
    — Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of tripping
Verb
  • But life has a way of mucking up even the best plans, sometimes all at once and sometimes bit by bit and usually a little of both.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Amid the memory shortage that's mucking up component prices globally, at least Qualcomm has some promising news for folks hoping to pay less for a daily driver.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026
Definition of mucking up

Browse Nearby Words

fouling
fouling up
foully
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Cite this Entry

“Fouling up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouling%20up. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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