muck-up

[ muhk-uhp ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a bungled or disordered situation; foul-up.

muck up

verb

1. tr to ruin or spoil; make a mess of
2. intr to misbehave

Word History and Origins

Origin of muck-up¹

First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase muck up

Idioms and Phrases

Bungle, damage, make a mess of, as in Don't let him write the review; he's sure to muck it up . This idiom alludes to the verb muck in the sense of “spread manure on.” [Early 1900s] For a synonym, see foul up .

Example Sentences

On the Cougars’ last play on offense, a fourth-and-1 in the final moments, Hilborn couldn’t pull in time to avoid mucking up the running lane, and Ward had nowhere to go.

From Seattle Times

I think he royally mucked up this whole process, starting with his ill-considered promise back in March 2021 to appoint a Black woman to replace Feinstein.

From Los Angeles Times

Puddles of oozing tar have been showing up over the last week, mucking up car tires and anything else that gets mired in the sticky black substance.

From Los Angeles Times

Indeed, Christie's own residual longing for intelligibility ended up mucking up his own otherwise sick burn of Ramaswamy.

From Salon

Leaders of the city’s transportation agencies, fire department, and planning department oppose the rapid expansion, insisting the vehicles are a menace, tying up traffic, mucking up emergency services, and driving erratically.

From Reuters

Related Words

• agitate
• alarm
• bewilder
• bother
• confound
• daunt
• disconcert
• discourage
• dishearten
• disillusion
• dispirit
• disquiet
• disturb
• dumbfound
• embarrass
• faze
• flummox
• fluster
• frighten
• horrify