as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I swear, she mucks up everything she tries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mucked up
Even in the harshest descriptions of the violence and almost unbelievably cruel twists of fate that Yarris endured (the DNA testing keeps getting accidentally mucked up), Brody lends him a vital indomitable spark.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Toronto is a good defensive team but doesn’t shoot the 3-ball well and has a half-court offense that can get mucked up and relies heavily on midrange jumpers.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
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
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
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Toronto is a good defensive team but doesn’t shoot the 3-ball well and has a half-court offense that can get mucked up and relies heavily on midrange jumpers.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mucked up
Verb
-
Henderson also fumbled after hauling in a pass from DeVito.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
2 June 2026
-
During Miami’s two periods of special teams work Malik Washington fumbled his first kickoff return, but most of the other punt returners and kickoff returned fielded their attempts well.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
But four years ago, Sorsby screwed up in a massive way.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
-
The two screwed up a top-rope stunner as Excalibur struggled to explain what happened like a 2026 Jim Ross.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Winn blew the save, and the Giants lost in extras.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
-
Caitlin Clark was part of another disastrous collapse on Saturday night, as the Indiana Fever blew a double-digit lead to the New York Liberty.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Items that fall in the toilet are soggy, in need of sanitizing, and possibly ruined.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
-
Our house, ruined by the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, was rebuilt from the foundation up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
But their strategy was fouled up when the car’s occupants switched on the headlights, throwing a glare up the tote road along which the wardens had planned to sprint.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Wild turkeys gobbled up Staten Island straphangers’ time on Monday, after a flock fouled up service on the Staten Island Railway.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If someone was caught, and murdered, scraps of their body were circulated as souvenirs and passed down through generations of white families as heirlooms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
Austrians believe he was murdered for refusing to join the German team.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Wealthy sunseekers still summer in many of these Gilded Age mansions, but a smattering of the most grand estates are open to the public as museums, dubbed the Newport Mansions.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
In a 2021 study, the company demonstrated that its neutralizing antibody can suppress a protein, dubbed USAG-1, which inhibits the growth of tooth buds.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mucked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucked%20up. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
