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
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
But Davidson believes that employees lied to government officials and mucked up the S.E.C. investigation.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
Employing Pitino’s signature full-court press, St. John’s was able to muck up the game to set up a close finish.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2025
If anyone was concerned about Rudy Gobert’s return to the lineup potentially mucking up what’s been a good Timberwolves offense of late, Sunday’s result had to alleviate some anxiety.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
But Davidson believes that employees lied to government officials and mucked up the S.E.C. investigation.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
Employing Pitino’s signature full-court press, St. John’s was able to muck up the game to set up a close finish.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2025
If anyone was concerned about Rudy Gobert’s return to the lineup potentially mucking up what’s been a good Timberwolves offense of late, Sunday’s result had to alleviate some anxiety.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
Verb
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Jaylen Wright fumbled on a hit from safety John Saunders Jr.... Grayson Murphy sacked Wilson, who nevertheless threw the ball to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for a 30 yard TD pass...—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
2 Aug. 2025
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Playing their third road game in five days, the expansion team nearly fumbled a 17-point, first-half lead but got enough stops down the stretch to escape with a 68-67 win over the Washington Mystics on Thursday.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The foghorn blew every 30 seconds and pelicans sailed above, doing a quick half corkscrew turn before diving.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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United’s prospective new owner, Michael Knighton, was on the pitch beforehand, ball-juggling and blowing kisses to the crowd, and Neil Webb smashed one in from 25 yards on his debut — wild stuff, honestly (yeah, get on with it, Grandad).—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Episode 4 flips the script on the trope of a friend screwing up by mouthing off to the wrong person at the worst time.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
6 Aug. 2025
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That’s obviously the most ambitious goal on the table for us, because that whole system is clearly screwed up almost beyond repair unless somebody else comes in and upends it all.—
Frank DiGiacomo,
Billboard,
21 July 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,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
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But a sewer backup during this weekend's historic flood ruined 60 of the backpacks, Maya Bell reports.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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They were booted from an apartment in Stuyvesant Town last year for not paying more than $50,000 in back rent, court records show.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
4 Aug. 2025
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Contestants from Love Island USA Season 7 were also booted from the villa due to past racist remarks.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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