as in fumbles
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I swear, she mucks up everything she tries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mucks up
Verb
-
The Seahawks are a high-turnover team on both sides of the ball, but the 49ers have forced just two takeaways in the season series — both fumbles in the opener.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026 -
The Honda backs up a few feet as the agent fumbles at the door handle.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Seeking changes Like much of Connecticut, Brookfield already experiences poor air quality and particulate-matter pollution that blows into the state from the west.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
-
And the spending rarely stops when the final whistle blows.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
What all happens that screws up everything?—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Ego screws up most of the things in this life.—
Jason Mastrodonato,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There’s, in fact, a lot of narrative chaos in the movie’s last third, from a pyramid scheme that ruins Junyang’s professional ego to the fact that Lydia, once she’s given birth, is basically cut out of the picture.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Feb. 2026
-
When fans see an exciting big hit, thinking about how the players might not know their own family members in 30 years ruins the fun.—
Eleanor M. Perfetto,
STAT,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Her unscrupulous, power-hungry uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho) murders his own brother to become king.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
That’s partly because its senseless violence, inspired by the Manson murders among other grisly homicides, feels all too plausible.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Dominic Zvada boots a 31-yard field goal to give the Wolverines the lead.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
While Americans searched for spaces for deeper community in that span, CultureCon – which now dubs itself the world's largest meetup of creatives – sprouted from a gathering of 21 people in Ellis' apartment to an annual gathering place for 12,000 attendees.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
-
What the site dubs Best of the Best Destinations reflect places visitors have given the highest ratings over the past year.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Mucks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucks%20up. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
