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)
Verb
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The stress of getting to your airport gate on time, coupled with the excitement of getting to your destination, can cause even the most seasoned of travelers to fumble at security checkpoints.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2025 -
For example, if an officer sees someone swerving, fumbling with items, or clearly not paying attention to the road, the interior light might factor into a citation for reckless or inattentive driving.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2025
Verb
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2025
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Those cops do more than blow whistles and bark signals.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2025
Verb
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When Cody trips and falls in the grass, his friends band together to comfort him and get him a bandage for his boo-boo.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
9 May 2025
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That goal came seven seconds after the Kings killed off a tripping penalty to Drew Doughty.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the only truly happy artist in Ira’s friend group — played to uproarious perfection by Stanley Tucci — isn’t even much of an artist at all but a shameless name-dropper who seems to stumble into constant success without even trying.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 May 2025
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Still, many times, most seasoned and skilled leaders stumble from time to time.—
Phil Portman,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
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As far as Luca knows, however, he’s somehow screwed up and killed his informant.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
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So someone — either the hotel or Hotels.com — really screwed up here.—
Christopher Elliot,
Mercury News,
7 May 2025
Verb
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While every other rookie slipped up significantly, Antonelli held his nerve to grab a great debut result.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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Liverpool’s 11 points from a possible 15 was coupled with Arsenal slipping up in their three fixtures and Slot’s team extended their lead at the top.—
Gregg Evans,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2025
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Sonos is very, very sorry for ruining your speaker system.—
Boone Ashworth,
Wired News,
9 May 2025
Verb
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But Paige has been there, injuries fouling up her career, too.—
John Nogowski,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
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This brings back the Bilas comment from long ago on fouling up two.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Goof (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goof%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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