1
as in fumbling
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 blowing
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 goofing (up)
Verb
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Since the first release in December, critics have accused the administration of fumbling the rollout and withholding too many documents.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026 -
Since the first release in December, critics have accused the administration of fumbling the rollout and withholding too many documents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Wolves were determined to run him off the 3-point line in an effort to limit his effectiveness, but Bane countered by putting the ball on the floor and blowing by Minnesota’s perimeter defenders all game.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Ice crystals skittered across the plateau, catching in the curve of the sastrugi before blowing free.—
Cree LeFavour,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Yas is not stumbling into evil unwittingly or being forced by circumstance.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
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Surveillance video from that night shows a man wearing a Blackhawks jersey entering the store, then stumbling out before a struggle spilled into the street.—
Darius Johnson,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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First of all, don’t hide misdeeds and screwups, which comes naturally by not committing misdeeds and not screwing up.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Right now, Iranians are blaming, appropriately, the regime for screwing up the country.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Olen Zellweger committed a tripping penalty in overtime, but Anaheim killed the four-on-three disadvantage.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Olen Zellweger committed a tripping penalty in overtime, but Anaheim killed the 4-on-3 disadvantage.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Smart’s Bulldogs could now do with the Crimson Tide slipping up to improve their conference prospects, with Texas A&M still out in front as the SEC’s only unbeaten team.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
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The main components have measurement indicators so there’s no chance of slipping up, and the parts can all nest inside the large container for easy storage when you’re done drinking your coffee.—
Mark Marino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At least not Will Welch, GQ’s longstanding editor-in-chief and global editorial director, who was absolutely zen about the threat of an atmospheric river mucking up the mag’s Men of the Year celebration last night.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Nov. 2025
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What's mucking up the process is a telepathic outlier named The Mule (Pilou Asbæk), whose ravenous appetite for galactic dominance has created anomalies in Seldon's branching prognostications of how this whole ordeal will unfold.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Goofing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goofing%20%28up%29. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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