as in to fumble
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
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 muck up
Kansas City’s defense was waiting and stuffed him short of a first down — or at least mucked up the play enough that a replay review couldn’t determine whether Allen had reached the line to gain.
—
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
Democrats will continue to try and muck up Trump legally and stop him from getting on the ballot.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
Duke Be less chaotic The Blue Devils are masters at mucking up a game, whether that’s by pressing, forcing turnovers or drawing (and committing) fouls.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Sadly, a corpse discovered in the waters just beyond the house mucks up the divine press coverage Greer had been arranging with—huh!—People magazine.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
Democrats will continue to try and muck up Trump legally and stop him from getting on the ballot.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
Duke Be less chaotic The Blue Devils are masters at mucking up a game, whether that’s by pressing, forcing turnovers or drawing (and committing) fouls.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Sadly, a corpse discovered in the waters just beyond the house mucks up the divine press coverage Greer had been arranging with—huh!—People magazine.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
Verb
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
Since that region is particularly barren, the wind picks up and starts blowing dust towards the Metroplex.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The tournament selection committee clearly screwed up by putting underqualified North Carolina in March Madness.—
Sean Gregory,
TIME,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Your sister could have screwed up your business for the next few years.—
Lydia Patrick,
Newsweek,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
This brings back the Bilas comment from long ago on fouling up two.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
-
In between those foul shots, the Jayhawks intentionally fouled up three.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacramento Bee,
23 Mar. 2025
-
But those stocks were mined with some gusto, and large portions of the island were essentially ruined.—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Because booting up manufacturing facilities would take time, in the medium term domestic auto prices would likely increase and car sales decline, experts say.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Also, Canada still won after manager Jesse Marsch got booted by referees.—
Chris Branch,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share