goofing (up)

verb

present participle of goof (up)
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

Relevance
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)
  1. fumbling
  2. blowing
  3. stumbling
  4. screwing up
  5. tripping
  6. fouling up
  7. slipping up
  8. mucking up
Verb
  • The FactPostNews accounts gained millions of new followers and billions of impressions across platforms, and the organization largely avoided becoming a story itself after fumbling the release of its 2024 autopsy report.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
  • His wife, Galina, a noble beauty, excels at the role of the plumed bird in a cage and yet suffers for it, fumbling around awkwardly for an escape.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of fumbling
Verb
  • The professional and business services sector, as the agency classifies it, gained 70,000 jobs, blowing past its average monthly gain of 15,000 over the past year.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Electric fireplaces produce heat by blowing air over heated coils or with infrared light and can be used with or without the heating function engaged.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of blowing
Verb
  • After stumbling into an intro to acting class, the 28-year-old quickly caught the professor’s attention.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The Chargers are the NFL’s only remaining winless team, stumbling to an 0-6 start for the first time since 2000.
    — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumbling
Verb
  • New York landing Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker — who has emerged as the draft’s top quarterback prospect — would be a painful blow to Miami, though the Jets have a long tradition of screwing up young QBs.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
  • So not screwing up Spider-Man is about putting a beating heart at the center rather than a bunch of spectacle.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of screwing up
Verb
  • Pittsburgh forward Tommy Novak, who scored and added an assist during a third-period rally, was called for tripping shortly after the teams returned to even strength.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Without adequate calf muscle strength, the calf muscles can fatigue quickly, leading to foot dragging or tripping.
    — Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of tripping
Verb
  • Then police closed that, too — at midafternoon Tuesday after a report of a suspicious package — fouling up traffic for New Yorkers even more.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of fouling 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
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
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

goofing on
goofing (up)
goof (off)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Goofing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goofing%20%28up%29. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of defer

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All