as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
when she was told her information was wrong, she apologized for the flub and immediately corrected it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
added too much flour and flubbed the gravy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
at some point in your training you're going to flub, so don't let it rattle you
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 flub
Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
Trump’s camp had its own flubs in the final stretch.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 11 July 2024
Cheryl playfully asks her bachelors, who mostly flub their replies.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flub 
Noun
But Harris’ flub on The View was instantly seen as a problem that was not going to be a one-day story.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
Trump’s camp had its own flubs in the final stretch.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
During the debate, Mr. Biden, 81, stumbled early on, flubbing lines as his voice appeared ready to give out.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 11 July 2024
Cheryl playfully asks her bachelors, who mostly flub their replies.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flub
Noun
-
Daniel Weiner, the director of government and elections at the Brennan Center for Justice, said the legal deadlines were set in part so that there would be time to make revisions before the Electoral Votes were cast in the event of a mistake or legal challenge.—
Daniel Desrochers,
Kansas City Star,
22 Jan. 2025
-
That portrays the Court as an institution that has made historic mistakes on citizenship and need not be trusted as the sole authority on the meaning of the Constitution.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
The New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Now, contrast that to the recent experience of Ravens tight end Mark Andrews who, as every devoted local football fan will recall, both fumbled and dropped a crucial two-point conversion pass in a must-win playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.—
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Jan. 2025
-
Like Fuhrman, many were nervous about teachers fumbling over technology and classmates not paying attention.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Matthias Schmidt, founder of Schmidt Automotive Research, said BYD’s plans for Germany have stumbled as EV sales slumped after government incentives were removed.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Both players refused to release the ball in an epic battle for possession, the players stumbling toward the TCU student section.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The blunders were addressed afterward by Rob McIntosh, the chief people officer of Stripe, in a memo to employees shared with CNN.—
John Towfighi,
CNN,
23 Jan. 2025
-
But after a record scratch blunder, they are suddenly canceled, pushed out and replaced by the agency’s rising Gen Z employees led by social media manager, Kriska Thompson (Shamoun).—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The Eagles defense also uncharacteristically blew several coverages in Week 16, including on two of Daniels’ five touchdown passes.—
Ted Nguyen,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Is this a lot of hocus pocus or a computational paradigm that might blow current capabilities out of the water and make NVDA look like, well, Intel of prior years?—
Vineer Bhansali,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The Trail Cam Revolution Modern trail cams started appearing in the 1980s with the advent of motion sensors that could trip a camera shutter.—
David Hambling,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Zach Werenski, who has been one of the NHL’s elite performers this season, simply tripped while all alone carrying the puck up the ice on the power play.—
Aaron Portzline,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The German hit 12 unforced errors in the set as too many of his forehands skewed off his racket at the wrong angle and out of the court.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Keys broke three times in the first set, helped in part by Sabalenka’s four double-faults and 13 total unforced errors.—
Howard Fendrich,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Hauser pitched the ball ahead to Tatum, but the five-time All-Star botched a layup.—
Jay King,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
-
The appointment of a new executive editor was botched.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
15 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to flub
Thesaurus Entries Near flub
Cite this Entry
“Flub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flub. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share