1
as in fumbles
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 trips
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 fouls up
Verb
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The Seahawks are a high-turnover team on both sides of the ball, but the 49ers have forced just two takeaways in the season series — both fumbles in the opener.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026 -
The Honda backs up a few feet as the agent fumbles at the door handle.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The resulting rambles through town, aboard motorcycle taxis on which all three pile up along with the drivers, become, for Folarin, trips through his own memories.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
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Boat trips with the hotel’s fleet of luxury liners or a heli ride take you island-hopping to Hydra and Spetses.—
Jemima Sissons,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Staff cleans up the sand that blows throughout the season to prevent winds from transferring it onto Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard.—
Lois K. Solomon,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
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There would be more victories and blows after Beijing.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The romantic dramedy, based on the novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, stars Anne Hathaway as Solène, a divorced mother who stumbles into a meet-cute with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of a boy band.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
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Siegfried stumbles up just in time and tells Tall Man to walk away.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Her unscrupulous, power-hungry uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho) murders his own brother to become king.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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That’s partly because its senseless violence, inspired by the Manson murders among other grisly homicides, feels all too plausible.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At Baku, however, the car looks to be a podium contender, potentially fighting for the win if McLaren slips up.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
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Along the way Texas needs to hope Seattle slips up, or else that final weekend in Cleveland could wind up being meaningless.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fouls up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fouls%20up. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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