as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I swear, she mucks up everything she tries
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Recent Examples of muck up
The Preakness at 1 3/16 miles is slightly shorter than the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, but there’s optimism about close-to-normal conditions after nearly a week’s worth of rain fell on Baltimore and mucked up the dirt track at Pimlico Race Course.
—
Stephen Whyno, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2025
Chicago Tribune The Preakness at 1 3/16 miles is slightly shorter than the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, but there’s optimism about close-to-normal conditions after nearly a week’s worth of rain fell on Baltimore and mucked up the dirt track at Pimlico Race Course.
—Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025
Tobias Harris isn’t considered a stalwart defender, but his matchup helped muck up the Knicks’ offensive attack and into ugly possessions.
—Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
The hydrogen flow keeps vaporized tin from mucking up the system’s optics.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Stephen Whyno, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2025
Chicago Tribune The Preakness at 1 3/16 miles is slightly shorter than the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, but there’s optimism about close-to-normal conditions after nearly a week’s worth of rain fell on Baltimore and mucked up the dirt track at Pimlico Race Course.
—Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025
Tobias Harris isn’t considered a stalwart defender, but his matchup helped muck up the Knicks’ offensive attack and into ugly possessions.
—Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
The hydrogen flow keeps vaporized tin from mucking up the system’s optics.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
Verb
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Last year, Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor celebrated prematurely and fumbled the ball through the back of the end zone on what was going to be a 41-yard TD run.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Cowboys linebacker James Houston caused Love to fumble.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kansas football blew a fourth-quarter lead and lost to Cincinnati on Saturday.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
28 Sep. 2025
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After blowing a golden opportunity against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Ravens blew out the Cleveland Browns but then coughed up another statement-win opportunity against the Detroit Lions last week.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The steaks have all been beautifully marbled, which makes cooking them pretty hard to screw up.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
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Having obvious trouble is Lesley, who put a layer of shortbread under her flapjack, which screwed up the cooking time, which screwed up the decorating time, which left Lesley, well, screwed.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Year-long court battles have been waged over exactly how clean the water in the Everglades has to be without fouling up the whole system.—
Alex Harris
July 3,
Miami Herald,
3 July 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
30 Sep. 2025
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The jerky in particular has ruined me for all other beef jerky—so be forewarned the same might happen to you.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The senior booted a 55-yard field goal in a 39-35 win against Leuzinger and made a 54-yarder against Damien.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
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After all, Stabler was married with 300 children, and a devout Catholic to boot.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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