as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I swear, she mucks up everything she tries
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Recent Examples of muck up
This wouldn’t be the first time such a discrepancy mucks up the MCU.
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Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 26 July 2024
Stock market The stock market is off to its best start to a year since 1997 but a massive dockworkers strike underway in the US could muck up some of that progress, economists say.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 2 Oct. 2024
Mercury confronting Neptune is mucking up communication.
—USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024
The sphere is now rigged to heat and cool things—space gets very hot and very cold—and to handle simulant, which would muck up a standard vacuum system.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for muck up 
Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 26 July 2024
Stock market The stock market is off to its best start to a year since 1997 but a massive dockworkers strike underway in the US could muck up some of that progress, economists say.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 2 Oct. 2024
Mercury confronting Neptune is mucking up communication.
—USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024
The sphere is now rigged to heat and cool things—space gets very hot and very cold—and to handle simulant, which would muck up a standard vacuum system.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
Verb
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Taylor started Indy’s unraveling by fumbling away a would-be 41-yard touchdown early in the third quarter that would’ve given Indianapolis a 20-7 lead.Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
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That’s what Matt Stafford did after fumbling through the start of the game.Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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To have someone so esteemed give that sort of affirmation about my work really just blew me away.Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024
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Many of the winds that blow down mountain slopes in California are also named for their locale, according to Null.Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ There really aren’t many ways to screw up a straightforward ballad that needs only a rolling snare drum as required instrumentation, but leave it to the Simpson sisters circa 2004 to burn it all down.Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
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Collection Much like Nightmare Before Christmas, Joe Dante’s enduring horror favorite Gremlins plays like someone wanted to see how badly a bunch of little monsters could screw up the setting of another Christmas classic.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Although the name suggests otherwise, the custard should never be allowed to actually boil, which would risk scrambling the eggs and ruining the custard.Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2024
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Ventilation along the roofline ensures airflow to prevent the dampness that can ruin belongings.Miles Walls, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Comey, an Obama appointee, had served only four years of his term when Trump booted him and appointed Wray.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
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Senator skips votes as term comes to an end Ex-Apache County attorney to get $6K monthly from pension after getting booted Arizona will automatically reimburse school voucher requests for $2K or less Trump wants steep tariffs in his 2nd term.Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near muck up
Cite this Entry
“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
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