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
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
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Trailing to Jule Brand's 19th-minute goal for record eight-time champion Lyon, Arsenal was gifted an equalizer in the 59th when Mariona Caldentey's low free kick into the area was fumbled backward by goalkeeper Christiane Endler and onto the post.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Critics say the Epstein files show how Republican and Democratic administrations alike fumbled the Epstein investigation over two decades, leaving potential coconspirators uncharged.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
22 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
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That might be kind of screwed up.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Amid chaotic scenes of masked immigration agents roaming neighborhood streets as protesters blew warning whistles, the operation led to two shootings by agents, including the fatal shooting in Franklin Park of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez in September.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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In one video, Brittany and her friends could be seen laughing as their hair blew furiously in the wind.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In other words, atrocious starts have ruined the Sox’s season before anyone had a chance to get excited.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Was so excited to make these and they were ruined by your poor recipe like many others!—
Christopher Kostow,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 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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In 1976, Rose kidnapped and murdered Lisa Berry, an 8-year-old girl from Hollywood.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
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Someone who received special treatment was marked to be murdered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While dubbed a conspiracy theory by skeptics, the controversy has sparked mounting pressure and national fury.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
25 Apr. 2026
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The two-day event, dubbed the R2 Block Party, has about 2,000 reservations for viewings at both locations, with walk-ins also welcome.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mucked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucked%20up. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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