1
as in fumbled
to make a mistake
we must have goofed up somewhere, because this cake clearly didn't turn out right
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in buggered (up)
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 goofed (up)
Verb
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The Storm had the Inter&Co Stadium crowd of 11,127 people on their feet early after Columbus fumbled the opening kickoff and safety Josh Minkins jumped on it to give the Storm their initial possession inside the 30-yard line.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026 -
As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Ticket The numbers favor Dallas It’s been a while since the Stars have stumbled against the Devils.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
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Florida stumbled so badly that the Gators fired coach Billy Napier.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This year’s Loons have tripped out of the gate, with only four out of a possible 12 points.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
20 Mar. 2026
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That tripped an alarm bell, and the marketing firm owner ended the call.—
Julia Ainsley,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But few, if any, think about what the pain of losing a championship in October will feel, something Blue Jays manager John Schneider had to endure last season when his team blew a 3-2 series lead to the Dodgers.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Last year, Duke blew a 14-point lead to lose to Houston in the Final Four with Flagg and Knueppel.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There’s Championship action on Monday, when Middlesbrough travel to Sheffield United knowing a win will lift them to the top of the table, after Coventry City slipped up again on Saturday.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 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 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
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That might be kind of screwed up.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The project, dubbed Montoro Estates, would build a two-story, 9,480-square-foot house with a walkout basement, pool, spa and main- and lower-level garages on an empty lot at 2545 Ruette Nice.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
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And while most of the bourbon in Kentucky is produced outside the city, downtown once housed a concentration of bourbon-adjacent businesses dubbed Whiskey Row.—
Adam Sachs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Goofed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goofed%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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