goofed (up)

verb

past tense of goof (up)
1
as in fumbled
to make a mistake we must have goofed up somewhere, because this cake clearly didn't turn out right

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in buggered (up)
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way he goofed up his first sale at the dealership

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goofed (up)
  1. fumbled
  2. blew
  3. stumbled
  4. screwed up
  5. tripped
  6. dubbed
  7. slipped up
Verb
  • The company, which offers credit cards used to make rent and mortgage payments, had fumbled a critical transition, leading to confusion and financial stress for its customers.
    — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • On his second drive, Tagovailoa fumbled the snap from center and the Dolphins recovered.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumbled
Verb
  • It’s been a decade since the company best known for sucking up hair balls and dust bunnies blew with great force into the beauty business.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Playing the American League’s best team, the Padres had the final two games of the series in hand before the practically impermeable back end of their bullpen blew late leads.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blew
Verb
  • But most of the attempts to scale sodium-ion cells stumbled over short lifespans and poor heat tolerance.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In her attempt to get away, the woman stumbled and injured her leg, screaming for help the whole time, police said.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • That doesn’t mean the Yankees screwed up in their process by trading for Stanton.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Every time a player screwed up, the coaching staff and his teammates received a text message, calling out both the infraction and the guilty party.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of screwed up
Verb
  • As the trio grew up on Nebraska high school fields, the Huskers tripped and slipped to a 7-17 record during their senior seasons.
    — Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • During competition, a number of humanoid robots have tripped, collapsed, burst into flames or slammed into safety barriers and then been stretchered off the track.
    — Anna Coren, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of tripped
Verb
  • The blaze, dubbed the Pickett fire, started near Calistoga last August and burned 6,800 acres over the course of 17 days, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Once a package or tool was compromised, Shai-Hulud, as the worm was dubbed, attached itself to future package updates.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of dubbed
Verb
  • The Iberians slipped up big time in their first match of the tournament, being shocked by Switzerland 1-0, bringing back ghosts of tournament failures past for Spanish fans.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Had Pep Guardiola’s side slipped up at a subdued Etihad, then Arsenal and Mikel Arteta could have won the title with victory over Burnley on Monday.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of slipped up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

goofed on
goofed (up)
go off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Goofed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goofed%20%28up%29. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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