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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Saints, Panthers Arizona somehow turned an interception into a touchdown for their opponent and fumbled away another sure touchdown in a bad, bad loss on Sunday.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025 -
Demercado is the latest in a recent line of NFL players who have fumbled the ball just short of the goal line.—
Anne Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Except, of course, for that old dinosaur that somehow stumbled into a misplaced DeLorean, fired up the flux capacitor, and time travelled from the stone ages straight to the Uli beach.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
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Determined to keep searching, Hollie eventually stumbled on a TLC episode featuring a boy named Gio, who also had Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Georges Mikautadze tripped before getting back on his feet to score Villarreal’s 18th-minute opener from a Nicolas Pepe assist.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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In the Cowboys’ lone OT possession, inside the Packers’ 5-yard line, Dak was feeling some pressure, and running when he was barely tripped from behind by his old teammate to return to the original line of scrimmage.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Apparently, Grier forgot his own words, because the lines that the Dolphins have built are collectively their worst this decade, something evident in a crushing 27-24 loss to Carolina, a game in which Miami blew a 17-0 lead.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
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Whalen described one recent encounter where a homeless person blew fentanyl smoke in his face.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Even the Chargers special teams had slipped up, as returner Derius Davis fumbled a kickoff return in the third quarter that led directly to 3 Broncos points.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
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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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How do things get so screwed up?—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
5 Oct. 2025
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Having obvious trouble is Lesley, who put a layer of shortbread under her flapjack, which screwed up the cooking time, which screwed up the decorating time, which left Lesley, well, screwed.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Also dubbed Prime Big Deal Days, the mega-store announced that the event will take place on October 7 and 8.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
3 Oct. 2025
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The Quarter is what is dubbed, in the UK, a ‘mixed-use neighborhood’.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
3 Oct. 2025
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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 9 Oct. 2025.
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