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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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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Tip #4: Double-check your figures Making a simple math mistake or switching the last two digits of your Social Security Number can cause big problems for the IRS.—
Brian Sloan,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
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A number of Republican and Libertarian figures have since voiced support for Massie on social media, suggesting Trump is making a mistake by attacking the Kentucky lawmaker.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Stash everything in your carry-on instead of fumbling at the checkpoint.—
Boutayna Chokrane,
WIRED,
18 Mar. 2025
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In hindsight the idea seems clear, but in the moment, there was a lot of fumbling around.—
Jayson Stewart,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Sure, trips to the salon for cut, color, treatment and styling provide some form of hair and scalp care, but only on a cosmetic level.—
Bianca Salonga,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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Denver then countered a White-to-Kornet lob and a White 3-pointer on back-to-back Boston trips with consecutive threes from Braun and Murray, who was far more effective over the final three quarters.—
Zack Cox,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The adorable mix-up has taken TikTok by storm, with the video, shared by @ellandcosta, racking up more than 165,000 views and over 21,000 likes to date.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
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The second is that there needs to be more forward communication to fans that the potential for mix-ups in these kind of situations is very real, and not merely an explanation used by a player, coach or other participant trying to avoid punishment.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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By dumping more toxic substances into the landfills, there’s a higher chance of chemicals leaking into groundwater or becoming part of airborne dust blowing into nearby communities.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
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Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacramento Bee,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The main character, a married artist in her mid-forties, sets out from her Los Angeles home, stumbles into a psychosexual dynamic with a young rental-car attendee, and decides to remodel a motel room into a love nest.—
Jennifer Wilson,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
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Everything will then be sold – unless he’s stumbled across a famous ball.—
Don Riddell,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This can cause dementia, confusion, and visual and hearing problems.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
16 Mar. 2025
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Further confusion, delays or uncertainty will be consuming your path now, Sagittarius.—
Kyle Thomas,
People.com,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Poor performance is 95% the result of work processes breaking down, not employees screwing up.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
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The stalking may just have been a way to bide time and screw up the courage for a dinner invite, but after their meal, Burt’s Outie might not be wholly innocent or trustworthy.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foul-up. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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