GOOFED (UP) Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

goofed (up)

verb

past tense of goof (up)

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

Relevance

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

In the bathroom, my fingers fumbled in the inner pocket of my jacket, searching for the passport.

— Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
Despite rebounding with the wildly entertaining F9 in 2021, the Fast franchise fumbled the 10th chapter, which underperformed at the box office and didn’t exactly get fans hyped for the follow-up.

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

Every time a player screwed up, the coaching staff and his teammates received a text message, calling out both the infraction and the guilty party.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
That growth is mostly a testament to how screwed up our school bus system currently is.

— Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of screwed up

Verb

The bear scratched his arm, and the victim tripped and injured his foot while trying to escape, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

— Jon Haworth, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
His starting wide receivers both blew their knees out before week five and his starting quarterback tripped on his kid's skateboard and dislocated his elbow.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of tripped

Verb

Billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Alexis Ohanian have effectively dubbed themselves amateur yeoman, putting the ultrarichs’ hobby of tending to the land in the spotlight.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
The intense 2015-2016 El Niño was widely dubbed Godzilla, as people struggled to compare it to the very strong El Niño in 1997-1998.

— Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of dubbed

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
Had Pep Guardiola’s side slipped up at a subdued Etihad, then Arsenal and Mikel Arteta could have won the title with victory over Burnley on Monday.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 13 May 2026

Definition of slipped 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

goofed on

goofed (up)

go off

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Goofed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goofed%20%28up%29. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of goofed (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

devolve

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes