as in mistake
an instance of confusion
there was a foul-up with our mail order, and not one item arrived as ordered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
tried not to foul up the football play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to trip
to make a mistake
unfortunately, I fouled up and in my e-mail gave everyone the wrong date for the meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foul-up
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Many have faulted Cuba’s Stalinist bureaucratic centralization, but few critiques are as replete with concrete examples of foolishness and foul-ups.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023
Bee digestion breaks down the sucrose within nectar into glucose and fructose, which are an excellent food source for microbes like yeast that could foul up the honey stores.
—Darren Incorvaia, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2021
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Noun
That foul-up then gets included in the series of questions and answers, causing the final answer to go askew.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Many have faulted Cuba’s Stalinist bureaucratic centralization, but few critiques are as replete with concrete examples of foolishness and foul-ups.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
Verb
Indiana opted to foul up three, Dug McDaniel made the first then intentionally missed the second, Thompson grabbing the rebound.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023
Bee digestion breaks down the sucrose within nectar into glucose and fructose, which are an excellent food source for microbes like yeast that could foul up the honey stores.
—Darren Incorvaia, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2021
See All Example Sentences for foul-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foul-up
Noun
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This makes people more forgiving when leaders make mistakes.—
Tendayi Viki,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Piastri, who made a mistake that cost him the win at the Australian GP last week, capitalized on clean air in Shanghai to steadily build his advantage as the race evolved into a strategic battle between one and two-stop strategies.—
Luke Smith,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After Hovland calmly made a bogey on the last to secure the win, PGA Tour fans wasted no time grilling Thomas for fumbling a golden opportunity.—
Kevin Sabet,
Newsweek,
23 Mar. 2025
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Gonzaga did have a shot to tie on its final possession, but Khalif Battle fumbled a handoff and had his desperation 3-pointer blocked by Ja’Vier Francis.—
CJ Moore,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Duluth, Minnesota Amid the heatwaves throughout Europe during the summer, trips to Nordic countries offer a way to beat the summer heat of southern Europe.—
Mark Ellwood,
AFAR Media,
19 Mar. 2025
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Family-friendly Offerings Children are welcome at Reindeer Manor, and there are plenty of itineraries to suit young ones, especially during the holiday season, such as reindeer feeding, trips to Santa’s Village, and ski school in Levi.—
Nicole Trilivas,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Surprisingly, the customer found the mix-up hilarious and ended up having a good laugh about it.—
Nataliia Onyshkevych,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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The lighthearted mix-up quickly gained traction, and Murphy joined in on the joke about their resemblance.—
Nasha Smith,
People.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
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At night, after the final whistle was blown, thousands of jubilant fans poured into the streets, heading toward the city’s bars to continue the debauchery, sometimes till dawn.—
Andrew McNicol,
CNN,
22 Mar. 2025
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This flow pattern blows warm air northward toward the poles east of lows and cool air southward toward the equator west of lows.—
Chris Nowotarski,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With Pochettino watching from the sidelines, the national team stumbled through its second lifeless loss in four days Sunday, falling to Canada 2-1 in the third place game of the CONCACAF Nations League before a tiny, mostly quiet crowd at SoFi Stadium.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Severance Ever since Helly and Mark stumbled upon a room filled with goats in Season 1 of Severance, fans have been wondering why Lumon is raising these animals in their walls.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In other words, bills still need to be paid no matter the confusion of politicians eager to distort the pricing mechanism that organizes the market economy.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The infected person may experience anxiety, confusion, agitation and hallucinations, per the health agency.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The tournament selection committee clearly screwed up by putting underqualified North Carolina in March Madness.—
Sean Gregory,
TIME,
20 Mar. 2025
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Your sister could have screwed up your business for the next few years.—
Lydia Patrick,
Newsweek,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul-up. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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