as in blunder
somewhat informal
a problem that makes a situation difficult or confusing
A major scheduling snafu led to two meetings starting at the same time.
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Recent Examples of snafu
Ballot snafus and bomb threats: All in all, voting Tuesday went pretty smoothly, states reported.
—
Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024
But the East Coast outpost, which originally was slated to open in June, has been bedeviled by a series of setbacks, from construction snafus to red-tape issues with the city’s landmarks preservation watchdogs to lengthy struggles over building permits.
—Benjamin Svetkey and Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2024
Seattle trailed 21-7 after a series of special teams snafus.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 2 Dec. 2024
Such an approach only compounds organizational snafus.
—John Baldoni, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snafu 
Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024
But the East Coast outpost, which originally was slated to open in June, has been bedeviled by a series of setbacks, from construction snafus to red-tape issues with the city’s landmarks preservation watchdogs to lengthy struggles over building permits.
—Benjamin Svetkey and Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2024
Seattle trailed 21-7 after a series of special teams snafus.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 2 Dec. 2024
Such an approach only compounds organizational snafus.
—John Baldoni, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snafu
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snafu
Noun
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But if a goalkeeper blunders like Illan Meslier did at Hull City (above) on Saturday, patience is going to be tested.Phil Hay, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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Finally, Assad’s fall has fueled domestic discontent among loyalists to the regime in Tehran, with some calling the loss a strategic blunder and openly criticizing the government on state television.Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Then there were lesson plans, radon measurements, lead tests, plumbing and fire safety checks, and blueprints, each done according to very specific requirements where any mistakes would set them back months more.ProPublica, ProPublica, 10 Jan. 2025
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Janice Hahn, a Los Angeles County supervisor, said on X that the alert was a mistake.Janhvi Bhojwani, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communication line failure, theft, or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of the Media.USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
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There’s very little room for error if growth does not accelerate in the coming years.Trefis Team, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near snafu
Cite this Entry
“Snafu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snafu. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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