mucking up

present participle of muck up

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 mucking up But life has a way of mucking up even the best plans, sometimes all at once and sometimes bit by bit and usually a little of both. Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Amid the memory shortage that's mucking up component prices globally, at least Qualcomm has some promising news for folks hoping to pay less for a daily driver. Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026 At least not Will Welch, GQ’s longstanding editor-in-chief and global editorial director, who was absolutely zen about the threat of an atmospheric river mucking up the mag’s Men of the Year celebration last night. Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025 What's mucking up the process is a telepathic outlier named The Mule (Pilou Asbæk), whose ravenous appetite for galactic dominance has created anomalies in Seldon's branching prognostications of how this whole ordeal will unfold. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2025 The hydrogen flow keeps vaporized tin from mucking up the system’s optics. IEEE Spectrum, 12 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mucking up
Verb
  • The Packers’ offense left the field, but came back after it was ruled that Watson was down before fumbling.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Here was his senior running back, who scored a 44-yard touchdown in their state championship win months earlier, fumbling on the very first play of the Blue-White scrimmage.
    Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • So not screwing up Spider-Man is about putting a beating heart at the center rather than a bunch of spectacle.
    Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The fear of failure can do as much harm as actually screwing up.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • Its exterior is rich with symbolism, from stone carvings representing the all-seeing eye of God to a golden statue, atop the highest spire, of an angel blowing a trumpet to herald the Second Coming.
    Brandon Griggs, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There is a micronation on a fortress at sea off the coast of Great Britain, and the British government once considered blowing it up.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mucking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucking%20up. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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