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
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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
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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
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Still, many times, most seasoned and skilled leaders stumble from time to time.—
Phil Portman,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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Meanwhile, the only truly happy artist in Ira’s friend group — played to uproarious perfection by Stanley Tucci — isn’t even much of an artist at all but a shameless name-dropper who seems to stumble into constant success without even trying.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 May 2025
Verb
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The stress of getting to your airport gate on time, coupled with the excitement of getting to your destination, can cause even the most seasoned of travelers to fumble at security checkpoints.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2025
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For example, if an officer sees someone swerving, fumbling with items, or clearly not paying attention to the road, the interior light might factor into a citation for reckless or inattentive driving.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Pulliam saw the coyote emerge from the nearby woods and tried to distract it by throwing rocks, but tripped in the process.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
20 May 2025
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The novelty of seeing string puppet rockers spin and levitate, often tripping and tumbling in stride to the delight of the audience, never gets old.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
17 May 2025
Verb
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2025
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Those cops do more than blow whistles and bark signals.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2025
Verb
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While every other rookie slipped up significantly, Antonelli held his nerve to grab a great debut result.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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Liverpool’s 11 points from a possible 15 was coupled with Arsenal slipping up in their three fixtures and Slot’s team extended their lead at the top.—
Gregg Evans,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As far as Luca knows, however, he’s somehow screwed up and killed his informant.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
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So someone — either the hotel or Hotels.com — really screwed up here.—
Christopher Elliot,
Mercury News,
7 May 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2025
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Sonos is very, very sorry for ruining your speaker system.—
Boone Ashworth,
Wired News,
9 May 2025
Verb
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But Paige has been there, injuries fouling up her career, too.—
John Nogowski,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
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This brings back the Bilas comment from long ago on fouling up two.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Louse up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/louse%20up. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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