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 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
  • However, his key mistakes included an interception, being sacked six times, and fumbling the ball away twice.
    Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • There is no right moment, and the early scenes are about fumbling steps and the tentativeness of awkward new roles.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Best of all though is Reeves, channeling his own 1989 comic past from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure or a bit of Todd Higgins from Parenthood to bring deadpan delight as the well-meaning but constantly screwing up angel trying to do good but being so bad at it.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025
  • As Nick in the present-adjacent day sure knows a hell of a lot about Dante Alighieri, perhaps the best person to criticize him and recognize his gaps in logic and knowledge, and how Nick is so profoundly screwing up his own life, would be Dante himself.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The blowing skirt shot became the key ad image for the film.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mucking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucking%20up. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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