to fuck up
690
9.9
- phrasal verb
- /fʌk ʌp/
- Offensive
- I really fucked up that presentation by forgetting all my notes.
- sorry I fucked up
- I fucked up again
- completely fucked up
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Watch on YouTubeDiddy, Who else did you fuck up in the game?
- Diddy, Who else did you fuck up in the game?
- When you make those mistakes and you fuck up, you can't get discouraged.
- It's six people that think you're fucking up, but that doesn't mean you suck.
Examples
-
If you don't fuck up, you can be here, raking it in, for life.
Fiction book (1992) -
I figure you came to court to make sure I didn't fuck this up.
Fiction book (1997) -
Believe me, I know what it's like to fuck things up with a woman and to get stuck with a kid on top of it.
-
When you fuck up in here, you go to the Box.
Academic text (2003) -
I fucked up really bad.
-
"I'm the one who fucked up, so I know I have to pay the price.
Academic text (2003) -
"The cop who took the complaint fucked it up, and now the others are covering for him.
Fiction book (1996) -
Lester gives Ginger a 'how did you fuck this up?' look.
Fiction book (1995) -
When you make those mistakes and you fuck up, you can't get discouraged.
-
Because I fucked up!
Synonyms
850
6.3
To make a mistake that ruins what you are doing
755
2.8
To make a mistake that causes a problem
209
2.8
To make something less good or enjoyable
83
2.7
To make people confused and things messy
60
9.9
To do something badly and ruin how it turns out
38
6.0
To do something badly and spoil the result
35
4.9
Deal with something badly so it causes problems or damage
22
4.9
Make a mistake or cause someone else to make one
19
6.8
To do something clumsily so it causes mistakes
18
6.4
To make a mistake that ruins something because you are careless
15
3.5
To do something clumsily and make a mistake
15
5.6
To make a silly or careless mistake
14
7.6
To ruin something by making mistakes or doing it badly
11
9.9
To cause a lot of damage and chaos to a place or thing
10
9.9
Make a very bad mistake because you are not careful
6
6.8
To make an embarrassing mistake because you are careless or nervous
6
8.1
To make a mess of a plan or task by doing it badly
4
6.7
Do a job badly and make a mess of it
4
8.2
To fail to catch or handle something because you are clumsy
2
7.9
To do something badly and ruin how it turns out
2
5.4
To make a mistake especially by forgetting words on stage
1
9.9
To ruin something by doing it badly
1
9.9
To ruin something by making a mistake or being careless
1
9.9
To do something so badly that it fails
1
9.9
To spoil or ruin something by making a careless mistake
1
9.9
To ruin something by a careless mistake
1
9.9
Do a job badly so it does not work
1
9.8
To do something badly and make it fail
To ruin something completely by making serious mistakes
Antonyms
How Bad
∞
2.0
- Offensive
690
9.9
- Informal
755
2.8
- Informal
6
6.8
- Informal
44
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
fuck + up
The particle 'up' contributes a sense of completion/intensification and the verb 'fuck' has colloquial extensions meaning to damage or treat something badly, so there is a clear relation between the constituents and the MWE meaning. However, the sense is metaphorical, vulgar, and not a straightforward compositional meaning a B1 learner would reliably derive without prior exposure, so it sits between compositional and idiomatic.
Etymology
Fuck up probably comes from using fuck to mean 'to mess up or damage' and adding up to show the action is complete. So the picture is of someone doing something so badly they totally ruin it, which is why the phrase means 'to make a serious mistake or ruin something'.