GOOFING (UP) Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

goofing (up)

verb

present participle of goof (up)

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

Relevance

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

The Packers’ offense left the field, but came back after it was ruled that Watson was down before fumbling.

— Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Here was his senior running back, who scored a 44-yard touchdown in their state championship win months earlier, fumbling on the very first play of the Blue-White scrimmage.

— Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of fumbling

Verb

Ian informs the sisters that Kylie isn’t merely stumbling into arcane rituals; someone is drawing her to the dark side.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
Unlike other festivals, where audiences can be more forgiving, stumbling out of the gate at Venice can prove impossible for a contender to recover from.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of stumbling

Verb

The nearly two-minute spot depicts a club-wielding bureaucrat chasing and tripping a child on a bike and another stealing a boy’s scooter.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
The boy was outside by himself for a total of nine minutes and had fallen into the pool after tripping over an inflatable chair, the report added.

— Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of tripping

Verb

But life has a way of mucking up even the best plans, sometimes all at once and sometimes bit by bit and usually a little of both.

— Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Amid the memory shortage that's mucking up component prices globally, at least Qualcomm has some promising news for folks hoping to pay less for a daily driver.

— Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026

Definition of mucking up

Verb

Arsenal are firmly in title-chasing mode and goal difference could still prove crucial, despite Manchester City slipping up against Everton on Monday.

— Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 7 May 2026
But knowing Olson’s proclivity for slipping up in hysterical fashion made the match that much more appealing.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 May 2026

Definition of slipping up

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Browse Nearby Words

goofing on

goofing (up)

goof (off)

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Style

“Goofing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goofing%20%28up%29. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of goofing (up)

verb

Example Sentences

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