1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

goof (up)

verb

Definition of goof (up)next
1
as in to fumble
to make a mistake we must have goofed up somewhere, because this cake clearly didn't turn out right

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to blow
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way he goofed up his first sale at the dealership

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goof (up)
  1. fumble
  2. blow
  3. trip
  4. screw up
  5. stumble
  6. ruin
  7. slip up
  8. foul up
Verb
  • On third-and-3 in NU territory, running back Damian Henderson II fumbled the handoff, and NU linebacker Brus recovered it at the NU 20.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Secure bags together with an industry secret Airline staff have an ability to bob and weave through terminals without fumbling their bags.
    — Abbey Hudetz, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of fumble
Verb
  • Giudice struck a few poses for the camera before blowing a kiss to wrap the clip.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026
  • More is surely going on, undetected or unreported, even as there has been a minor online symphony of whistle-blowing, alarm-bell tolling, and pleas for legislative action.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • Since then, price has completely round-tripped the move, giving back the entire post-earnings gap and settling back into the mid-$250s.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Native Americans smoking peyote in ceremony, the CIA experimenting with LSD — tripping was seen as decidedly fringe.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of trip
Verb
  • Dallas is going to be better, but the Cowboys always screw up.
    — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2026
  • That doesn’t mean the Yankees screwed up in their process by trading for Stanton.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of screw up
Verb
  • The Broncos stumbled out of the blocks to a 17-3 deficit against Memphis last week, and the same happened on Saturday against South Dakota.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The Bears, however, stumbled out of the gate, losing four straight before winning Friday night.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of stumble
Verb
  • Before the attack, millions of books a year were printed in this space, where there’s now nothing but piles of swollen book stock, ruined after firefighters put out the blaze.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • But Timothy Leary’s version became the dominant idea of psychedelics, and when President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs began, psychedelics were vilified as the gateway to ruin.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruin
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
  • But for taxpayers with a solid compliance history who slip up once, automatically applying relief—instead of reserving it for those who know to ask—is a welcome change.
    — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of slip up
Verb
  • In the end, though, neither an explosion nor a giant spill of fluid that could foul up waterways and the ocean occurred.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
  • An incorrect connection or approach can foul up a line, damage a plane or cause an accident.
    — Tara Copp The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
Definition of foul up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

goofs (up)
goof (up)
goofy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Goof (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goof%20%28up%29. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tactile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All