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
Well, the first and third mucked up their stories with some overly contrived lore about cults and gods, and the fourth was an experiment for the formula that didn’t quite work.
—
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Lawmakers need to get back to Washington to end the government shutdown - a shutdown that has mucked up travel plans around the country by contributing to widespread flight delays.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
While the Governor's Cup may be safe, there are other ways the ACC's and SEC's scheduling moves could muck up Louisville's future football schedules.
—Payton Titus, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Lawmakers need to get back to Washington to end the government shutdown - a shutdown that has mucked up travel plans around the country by contributing to widespread flight delays.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
While the Governor's Cup may be safe, there are other ways the ACC's and SEC's scheduling moves could muck up Louisville's future football schedules.
—Payton Titus, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
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 2026
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Santillan appears to be fumbling away his opportunity, allowing nine runs (eight earned) over his last five appearances.—
Mike Barner,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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But second-year point guard Carla Leite, who had hurt her ankle earlier in the evening, blew by Jones in isolation to tie the score 96-96 with 27 seconds to play.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 May 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 May 2026
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The two screwed up a tilt-a-whirl spot, but Breakker made up for it with a standing moonsault.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
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On the ensuing power play, the Wild were doing a fine job when two of their normally reliable penalty killers fouled up.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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There was Anthony Edwards brashly asking Watson if the Nuggets planned to foul up three at the end of regulation, before draining an incredible shot to force overtime.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Since 2015, it has been held in ten different cities, including Las Vegas, where a red carpet was constructed atop the Bellagio’s fountain pool, and Nashville, where rowdy attendees ruined bachelorette parties on Broadway.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Many riads were in a state of disrepair, crammed with striking examples of traditional craftsmanship going to ruin.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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One way is to boot into Windows, hold down the [Shift] key, click on the power icon, and click restart.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
14 May 2026
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Last season, down by a touchdown, quarterback Justin Herbert marched the team on a game-tying drive before Cameron Dicker booted a 43-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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