as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I swear, she mucks up everything she tries
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of muck up in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
The sphere is now rigged to heat and cool things—space gets very hot and very cold—and to handle simulant, which would muck up a standard vacuum system.
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Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
The intelligence agents have each mucked up a mission in their own way or are just deemed no longer suitable to work at the Park, MI5's fictional HQ in London's Regent's Park.
—Ellie O'Mahoney, theweek, 6 Sep. 2024
Before 1993, no such rule existed; researchers often excluded women from clinical studies out of fear that their menstrual cycles would muck up the data.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 12 Aug. 2024
The Supreme Court, in its infinite wisdom, has only mucked up the waters.
—Washington Post, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for muck up 
Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
The intelligence agents have each mucked up a mission in their own way or are just deemed no longer suitable to work at the Park, MI5's fictional HQ in London's Regent's Park.
—Ellie O'Mahoney, theweek, 6 Sep. 2024
Before 1993, no such rule existed; researchers often excluded women from clinical studies out of fear that their menstrual cycles would muck up the data.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 12 Aug. 2024
The Supreme Court, in its infinite wisdom, has only mucked up the waters.
—Washington Post, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
Verb
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Carolina players also showed some frustration just before Sutton fumbled the ball at the goal line with 2 minutes, 13 seconds remaining.Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2024
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Corey Ballentine was also credited with fumbling a punt, but that mishap happened when return man Keisean Nixon pulled away at the last minute.Rob Reischel, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Verb
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For nonprofits reliant on city funding, the winds of political change can blow your funding off the map.Tylor Taylor, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Supersonic gales blow at 1,200 miles per hour, around five times faster than the strongest gusts ever measured on Earth.Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Myers nails the realistic teen who is a far cry from the unflappable Nancy Drew, screwing up plenty and often terrified of what she’s gotten herself into.Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
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My first assumption on the hunt with Walz was that somebody had screwed up, failing to place the birds in the pre-planned locations.Wes Siler, Outside Online, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
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For just one of 67 counties to use the wrong one could foul up an entire statewide count.Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024
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See the stunning shot... AIRLINE 'CHAOS' – A flight was canceled after someone fouled up the aircraft amid delays.Fox News Staff, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2023
Verb
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More details would ruin the clever and shocking twists, but Glenn is in full reluctant hero mode for much of the film.William Earl, Variety, 24 Oct. 2024
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But not the party atmosphere of today, with some people drinking too much and some obnoxious people ruining it for the majority.Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
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State regulators, meanwhile, have rarely used a mechanism in their disposal to boot abusive employers from bringing migrant workers.Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024
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State lawmakers booted the TSU board and upended the university's search for a new president following a series of withering audits that described widespread mismanagement by top administrators.Adam Tamburin, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near muck up
Cite this Entry
“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
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