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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Recent Examples of mucked up
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
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
-
In the 88th minute, Neuer fumbled a routine shot and allowed Joselu to equalise.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Fans were exiting en masse in the top of the ninth when Frelick’s RBI single off Rule 5 rookie Ryan Watson, fumbled by reigning AL Gold Glove centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela, increased Milwaukee’s lead to three.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Sens are going to lose their pick for nothing at all, because of how a GM their fans didn’t like screwed up a trade his team wasn’t even involved in.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
That might be kind of screwed up.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 31-year-old target man scored a late winner against Mbappe’s Madrid to hoist Mallorca out of the bottom three a fortnight ago, and was mobbed by his team-mates as the final whistle blew.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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When the full-time whistle blew at the Etihad Stadium in northern England on Sunday, the live broadcast quickly focused on a close-up of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Scott would play Ben Wyatt, a former teen mayor who’d ruined his town financially and was now paying penance by becoming a state budget auditor.—
Jennifer Armstrong,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
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Voicer Peter Sulzicki may be correct in that the three-pointer has ruined the game of basketball.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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The family of the cabaret artist Fritz Grünbaum, who was murdered in the Holocaust, for example, was able to recover works by Viennese Expressionist artist Egon Schiele that were in Grünbaum’s vast personal collection in 2018 after decades of efforts.—
Jackie Hajdenberg,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
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During production, Fosse insisted that Roberts spend the night in the actual apartment where Dorothy Stratten, the real-life Playboy Playmate of the Year from 1980, was murdered by her husband and manager, Paul Snider, the role Roberts was playing.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The counter in the market’s far right corner, dubbed Club 104, is reserved for emerging talents, changing every few weeks (sometimes sooner).—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The first of two sister ships, dubbed Ilma, debuts in 2024.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mucked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucked%20up. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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