as in fumbling
to make a mistake
if you slip up in copying the data, the final result will of course be wrong
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Recent Examples of slipping up
The main components have measurement indicators so there’s no chance of slipping up, and the parts can all nest inside the large container for easy storage when you’re done drinking your coffee.
—
Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slipping up
Verb
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But Henry hasn’t made a habit of fumbling throughout his career, so this is an unusual stretch.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
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The uncharacteristic nature of fumbling the ball three times in a row is not lost on the star running back.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The episode ends with a surreal, graphic deepfake scene of a totally nude Donald Trump stumbling around a desert.—
Nick Marx,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
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Inside the agency, Dudek, ill-prepared for leadership or for DOGE’s murky agenda, was stumbling through the chaos in part by creating some of his own.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Farley, a former New York City health commissioner who teaches at Tulane University, acknowledged that many factors contribute to falls, including the physical impairments and deteriorating eyesight associated with advancing age; alcohol abuse; and tripping hazards in people’s homes.—
Paula Span,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
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Carr ends up tripping and falling down stairs, eating soup laced with Plan B One Step emergency contraceptive, and getting doused in cat feces, which leads to him contracting toxoplasmosis, a parasite that can be transferred to fetuses during pregnancy.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slipping up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slipping%20up. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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