1
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
everything is riding on this project, so we can't afford to louse up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I loused up the wallpapering job in the bedroom—the seams show too much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of louse up
Which is to say that America’s most prominent vaccine skeptic could have the power to upend, derail, or otherwise louse up a cornerstone of public health.
—
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
Conversely, one of the easiest ways to louse up a team on draft day is to load up a team with players who aren’t going to produce at a level commensurate with when they were drafted.
—Gary Davenport, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
Conversely, one of the easiest ways to louse up a team on draft day is to load up a team with players who aren’t going to produce at a level commensurate with when they were drafted.
—Gary Davenport, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for louse up
Verb
-
The sort of challenge that has caused United to stumble in recent times.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Stocks had stumbled there in prior days after MSCI, an influential company in the investment industry that creates stock and other indexes, warned about market risks such as a lack of transparency.—
Stan Choe,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But Jaylen Petty fumbled the outlet pass after the steal, and UCF (17-4, 6-3 Big 12) recovered to set up Fulks' jumper to go up by two possessions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The rest of the team was also fumbling, and everyone but Edwards had struggled to score.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If not, now's your chance to grab a calendar and pencil in some time to reconnect as a couple, plan a girls or guys trip, or just escape for a bit from the daily grind of child-rearing and work responsibilities.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t trip The holiday season is a reset.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After his cover was blown, Pine managed to get Teddy alone to play him secret recordings of Roper revealing that the antagonist never intended to acknowledge Teddy as his legitimate heir.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Their actions spoke louder than words, even if Shanahan did slip up in the preseason and compare this team to his 2017 squad that didn’t win a game until mid-November.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
-
So, when Mario reconstructed the mess into a back-to-back bowl team, no one expected the athletic director to can him after a 3-9 slip up.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The climate may get screwed up in new ways as scientists attempt to turn the planet’s temperature dial down.—
Christian Elliott,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
-
What Mager is showing here is the difference between kids and adults, the openness and willingness to be bold and confront things head on with matter-of-fact honesty in a world that is being screwed up by their elders and those in charge.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
1 Feb. 2026
-
To say much more would be to ruin the wild twists and turns that unfold as the night marches onward.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The funding lapse led to delayed or suspended economic data, wreaked havoc at airports as flights were canceled due to air traffic controller shortages and fouled up the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
13 Nov. 2025
-
Also, if Utah or Miami were to score an upset in the opening round, St. Louis would have first dibs at taking that team instead of Orlando, which would foul up these predictions completely.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Louse up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/louse%20up. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
