MUCKED UP Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

mucked up

verb

past tense of muck up

as in fumbled

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way I swear, she mucks up everything she tries

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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 An exciting World Cup run mucked up by a president for whom muck might as well be a currency. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mucked up

Verb

Replay review confirmed that Bachmeier had indeed fumbled, and separately confirmed that Moa had scored.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Earlier, Jones fumbled after backup tailback Evan Pryor failed to pick up Georgia linebacker Quintavius Johnson, who knocked the ball out of Jones’ hand.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

That doesn’t mean the Yankees screwed up in their process by trading for Stanton.

— Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Every time a player screwed up, the coaching staff and his teammates received a text message, calling out both the infraction and the guilty party.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of screwed up

Verb

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens could not get off the field fast enough after his team blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
In reply, Snyder blew his own bugle, a simple tubular plastic whistle.

— Rich LaRocco, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of blew

Verb

Food waste ruined amid the blaze took more than two months to clean up as the operation missed several deadlines set by the city, leading to unbearable odors in the area and rodent infestations.

— Austin Turner, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Others have used it to remove oily stains from their toddlers like crayon marks on carpet, and one reviewer says it’s saved many of their clothes from being ruined in a household with unavoidable messes from both kids and pets.

— Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruined

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

Definition of fouled up

Verb

Detectives from the start suspected Panetti had been murdered.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
It was consecrated by James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, young Black and Jewish men murdered together in 1964 for their work to register Black voters.

— Seth Limmer, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of murdered

Verb

The event — a doubleheader dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off — included an audience with Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV for both teams and their fans on Saturday.

— Andrew Dampf, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
The main room there is articulated around a sculptural, 20-foot curved wooden display unit, informally dubbed the Library, which for the opening displayed ready-to-wear on one side, and the recently launched Horsebit Duomo bag on the other.

— Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of dubbed

Browse Nearby Words

mucked (out)

mucked up

muckety-muck

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“Mucked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucked%20up. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of mucked up

verb

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