1
as in fumbling
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 screwing up
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lousing up
Verb
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Gibson rushed for 1,000 yards in his second season, then suffered from fumbling issues over his final years with the Commanders.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
23 Feb. 2026 -
But Illinois is at risk of fumbling this opportunity.—
Susana A. Mendoza,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 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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Mercader pushed Trotsky to the floor and, running and stumbling, escaped from the room.—
Josh Ireland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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He’s saved by a drunken Ser Arlan, who comes stumbling into the alley and instinctively follows his knightly code to defend the innocent.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Most hotel treatments are nice but not mind blowing—these were.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
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Coney Island live cam See blowing snow along the boardwalk and shoreline at Coney Island.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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The main components have measurement indicators so there’s no chance of slipping up, and the parts can all nest inside the large container for easy storage when you’re done drinking your coffee.—
Mark Marino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Aug. 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
Verb
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Another thing that a lot of these jam band fans love is drugs — tripping, smoking weed, rolling on MDMA, doing peyote or ayahuasca, and eventually many of them loved smoking crack and shooting heroin.—
David Manheim,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
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Shortly afterward, a southbound G train entering the station hit the frozen obstruction, tripping the train’s emergency brake.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Lousing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lousing%20up. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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