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to louse

to louse

6 8.9
To spoil something by doing it badly
  • verb
  • /laʊs/
  • Informal
: estropear
  • Before that Mr. Castro came in and loused everything up.
  • louse up your day
  • really louse up

Examples

Synonyms

to mess up
vsto louse
  • Informal
755 2.8

To make a mistake that causes a problem

focuses similarly but highlights careless mistakes as cause
to foul up
vsto louse
  • Informal
18 6.4

To make a mistake that ruins something because you are careless

is similar but centres more on careless mistakes specifically
to muck up
vsto louse
  • Informal
14 7.6

To ruin something by making mistakes or doing it badly

shares meaning but stresses error-driven failure more clearly
to bugger
vsto louse
  • NSFW
8 9.1

To damage or spoil something often by carelessness

means the same but sometimes implies accidental rather than deliberate error
to louse up
vsto louse
  • Informal
6 8.1

To make a mess of a plan or task by doing it badly

has the same meaning but is a different informal phrasing
to botch up
vsto louse
  • Informal
4 6.7

Do a job badly and make a mess of it

refers to the same failure but with emphasis on clumsiness
to bollix
vsto louse
  • Slang
1 9.9

To ruin something by doing it badly

matches meaning but is slightly more blunt and coarse in tone
to crap up
vsto louse
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To ruin something by making a mistake or being careless

is similar but may be less commonly used and more coarse
to bollocks
vsto louse
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To spoil or ruin something by making a careless mistake

expresses the same idea but with less regional slang tone
to booger up
vsto louse
  • Informal
1 9.9

To ruin something by a careless mistake

shares the careless-error focus but sounds more playful or childish

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To make something better

Idioms

1 9.1

To be guilty and ashamed after treating someone badly

Phrasal Verbs

to louse up
  • Informal
6 8.1

To make a mess of a plan or task by doing it badly

Compounds

sea louse
  • Specialized
2 8.9

A small sea animal that lives on fish and sometimes eats dead plants or animals

body louse
  • Specialized
1 8.7

A small insect that lives in clothing, bites people, and can spread disease

crab louse
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A small insect that lives in pubic hair and other body hair and makes the skin itch

1 7.0

A small insect like an aphid that sucks juices from plants

fish louse
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A small animal that lives on fish and eats their blood or skin

pubic louse
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A small insect that lives in the hair of the private parts and causes itching

sucking louse
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small wingless insect that lives on birds or mammals and drinks their blood

1 5.6

A small insect that lives in human hair and feeds on blood

1 7.4

A small grey animal with a flat, segmented body that lives under damp logs or stones

whale louse
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small sea animal like a tiny crab that lives on the skin of whales

bird louse
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small wingless insect that lives on birds and bites their skin or feathers

biting louse
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small wingless insect that lives on birds and eats their feathers and skin

A small insect that lives on chickens and other birds and eats their blood

jumping plant louse
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small insect with strong back legs that jumps and feeds on plant juices

louse fly
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small insect that sucks blood and lives in feathers or fur

book louse
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A very small insect that has no wings and eats mold on books and paper and can damage them

1 9.6

Small insect that lives on tree bark and eats fungi and dead plant parts

lens louse
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small animal that lives on fish in aquariums and harms them

A small insect that feeds on clover plants and can damage them

A small insect that lives on the head or body of people and drinks their blood

A small insect that lives on tree bark and eats mold or tiny plant bits

A small insect that lives on grape plants and damages them

onion louse
  • Specialized
9.9

A small insect that eats and harms onion and tobacco plants

8.8

A small insect that eats pea plants and damages crops

shaft louse
  • Specialized
9.9

A small insect that lives on chickens' feathers and causes itching

A small insect that looks like white cotton on plants and sucks their juice

How Bad

to ruin
∞ 2.0
to louse
  • Informal
6 8.9
to mess up
  • Informal
755 2.8
to bungle
19 6.8
blunder
45 3.0
to err
61 5.5

Surface Forms

louse infinitive
loused past
loused past participle
lousing present participle
louses third person singular

Etymology

Louse (as in 'louse up') also means 'to spoil' or 'mess up', and a helpful way to remember this is to think of lousy meaning 'bad' or 'dirty'. So to louse something up is to make it bad or ruined.