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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Nothing erodes confidence faster than fumbling for lockboxes, waiting on unresponsive listing agents, or showing a space that clearly doesn’t fit.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026 -
Last season’s Detroit Tigers endured the worst divisional collapse in history, fumbling an AL Central lead that reached 15 1/2 games in July.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Field of 68 pointed out that each of Duke's last four NCAA Tournament losses came by blowing a double-digit lead.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Shopping on Rue La La feels a lot like stumbling across a secret sale, with some of the very best deals on designer goods, including swoon-worthy handbags.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
20 Mar. 2026
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The bubble was the softest in recent memory, with one team after another stumbling late in the season.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 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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Right after Charlie Coyle began serving a tripping penalty, Alex Wennberg won a draw in the Blue Jackets zone back to Dmitry Orlov, who slid the puck over to Celebrini for a one-timer that beat Elvis Merzlikins 57 seconds into the third period.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Pittsburgh opened the third period on the power play with a two-man advantage after Ottawa took a late tripping penalty and got called early too many men.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other people’s opinions, or slipping up and saying the wrong thing?—
Jordan Robinson,
SELF,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
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 31 Mar. 2026.
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