muck up

verb

Definition of muck upnext
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

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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 Teams continue to sag off Hart in the half court to try to muck up New York’s offense. — James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Well, the first and third mucked up their stories with some overly contrived lore about cults and gods, and the fourth was an experiment for the formula that didn’t quite work. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026 At least not Will Welch, GQ’s longstanding editor-in-chief and global editorial director, who was absolutely zen about the threat of an atmospheric river mucking up the mag’s Men of the Year celebration last night. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025 Lawmakers need to get back to Washington to end the government shutdown - a shutdown that has mucked up travel plans around the country by contributing to widespread flight delays. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
  1. fumble
  2. blow
  3. screw up
  4. foul up
  5. ruin
  6. boot
Verb
  • On his second drive, Tagovailoa fumbled the snap from center and the Dolphins recovered.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Centennial fumbled on its first possession to set up Petero’s two-yard touchdown run.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumble
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
  • The Las Vegas spectacle, which opened to the public in August 2025, already blows audiences around with tornado-force wind, shakes them with haptic seats, sends giant winged monkeys flying overhead and drops hundreds of foam apples from the ceiling.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blow
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 screw up
Verb
  • In the end, though, neither an explosion nor a giant spill of fluid that could foul up waterways and the ocean occurred.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
  • An incorrect connection or approach can foul up a line, damage a plane or cause an accident.
    — Tara Copp The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
Definition of foul up
Verb
  • But if clouds ruin your view — or the moon is below the horizon at the time of the eclipse — there's no need to fret!
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The news of the relationship almost ruined the church, which quickly began hemorrhaging members.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • The left-hander had a chance to go deeper Sunday, but the shortstop Lombard booted a potential inning-ending double-play grounder in the fourth.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The travelling supporters were perched behind the goal for a perfect view of the wonder strike, and Ballard made a beeline straight towards them, booting the advertising hoarding for good measure.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of boot

Browse Nearby Words

mucks up
muck up
mucky
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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