1
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
everything is riding on this project, so we can't afford to louse up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I loused up the wallpapering job in the bedroom—the seams show too much
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of louse up
Which is to say that America’s most prominent vaccine skeptic could have the power to upend, derail, or otherwise louse up a cornerstone of public health.
—
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
Conversely, one of the easiest ways to louse up a team on draft day is to load up a team with players who aren’t going to produce at a level commensurate with when they were drafted.
—Gary Davenport, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
Conversely, one of the easiest ways to louse up a team on draft day is to load up a team with players who aren’t going to produce at a level commensurate with when they were drafted.
—Gary Davenport, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for louse up
Verb
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Skype won attention in the 2000s for giving people a way to talk without paying the phone company, but stumbled in the mobile era and didn’t enjoy a major resurgence during the pandemic.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2025
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Those concerns came to a head during Biden's debate against now-President Donald Trump in June, when Biden sounded hoarse and appeared to stumble through several answers.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Messes: The Blue Jays are fumbling a star It’s been a tough few years for the Blue Jays and high-end baseball talent.—
Chris Branch,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
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The Best Wireless Chargers to Refuel Your Phone (or Watch) Stop fumbling for cables in the dark.—
Boutayna Chokrane,
WIRED,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Lamine Yamal caught up with him, bumped into him and tripped the centre back to the ground.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Colorado dropped 13 games in a row to open the conference season before tripping UCF.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, buying everything new for your space can get costly and can easily blow your budget.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
27 Feb. 2025
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Courtenay Brown Feb 14, 2025 - Economy Trump trade plan intensifies The Trump trade war has blown past the realm of tariffs.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Brentford, meanwhile, know that victory could take them into the top half of the table should Fulham slip up at Newcastle.—
Oli Gamp,
The Athletic,
2 Feb. 2025
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That makes a total of around $43 million (€41.2 million) in the pot, but that could soon become $55.6 million (€53.3 million) by finishing in first in the league phase if Liverpool slips up, and also beating Europa League holders Atalanta next week on the last matchday of the preliminary phase.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The stalking may just have been a way to bide time and screw up the courage for a dinner invite, but after their meal, Burt’s Outie might not be wholly innocent or trustworthy.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
22 Feb. 2025
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If one of the 11 messes up, the whole thing’s screwing up.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sometimes, one bad person or a few bad people can ruin things for everybody.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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This brings back the Bilas comment from long ago on fouling up two.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
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In between those foul shots, the Jayhawks intentionally fouled up three.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Louse up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/louse%20up. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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