1
: a state of confusion or an error caused by ineptitude, carelessness, or mismanagement
foul-ups in transportation
2
: a mechanical difficulty
fouled up; fouling up; fouls up
1
: to make dirty : contaminate
2
: to spoil by making mistakes or using poor judgment : confuse
: to cause a foul-up : bungle
it was his fault. He had fouled up—
Pat Frank
Pat FrankSynonyms
Examples of foul-up in a Sentence
Noun
there was a foul-up with our mail order, and not one item arrived as ordered
Verb
tried not to foul up the football play
unfortunately, I fouled up and in my e-mail gave everyone the wrong date for the meeting
Recent Examples on the WebLance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Many have faulted Cuba’s Stalinist bureaucratic centralization, but few critiques are as replete with concrete examples of foolishness and foul-ups.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for foul-up 
Noun
That foul-up then gets included in the series of questions and answers, causing the final answer to go askew.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Many have faulted Cuba’s Stalinist bureaucratic centralization, but few critiques are as replete with concrete examples of foolishness and foul-ups.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
Verb
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
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
See all Example Sentences for foul-up
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foul-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near foul-up
Cite this Entry
“Foul-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foul-up. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share