Synonyms

goof-up

American

[goof-uhp] / ˈgufˌʌp /

Or goofup

noun

Slang.

a person who habitually makes mistakes, spoils things, gets into trouble, etc., especially through carelessness or irresponsibility.
a mistake, blunder, malfunction, or the like.

goof up Idioms

Blunder, make a mistake, spoil. For example, I really goofed up and got all the dates wrong. This expression emerged in the military during World War II, along with the synonymous goof off. Quite often up is omitted, as in Sorry, I goofed. [Slang; c. 1940]

First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase goof up

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These numbers point to either a major census data goof-up or one of the most remarkable unreported sociological phenomenon of our times.

From BBC

But it appears to have been decades since the last goof-up, so notching two in the same year was striking.

From Washington Times

“He said that it is USAA’s ‘policy’ not to advertise on opinion shows and that their ads on Sean Hannity were a goof-up.

From Washington Times

“It’s a major goof-up for everybody.”

From Washington Times

The goof-up came at a critical time, as the Mountain Hawks were trying to cut into American’s lead.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023