💥 To ruin 🧹 To make dirty

to muck up

6.7

To make something dirty with mud or dirt

phrasal verb
/mʌk ʌp/

Informal

: ensuciar

I had to clean the dog after he mucked up the carpet with his muddy paws.

Examples

Outside, I pushed through the shrubs, mucking up my shoes in the soft soil, reached in through the bars over the opened window, and pushed aside the blackout curtains.

Fiction book (1995)
After the rain, the kids went outside to play and ended up mucking up their clothes with mud.
Be careful not to muck up the floor when you're working with paint.

Synonyms

to mess

vsto muck up

248 1.0

To make something untidy or dirty

is specifically used for soiling with mud or filth rather than disorder

to soil

vsto muck up

59 4.5

To make something dirty with mud or dirt

is used especially when mud or filth is the cause

to mess up

vsto muck up

Informal

52 3.0

To make something untidy, dirty, or not in the right place

is mainly about soiling by mud rather than general disorder

to foul

vsto muck up

18 4.5

To make something dirty or blocked so it does not work properly

focuses on soiling rather than causing pollution or blockage

to dirty

vsto muck up

14 1.0

To make something unclean or covered with dirt

is used especially when mud or filth is involved

to muss

vsto muck up

6 7.9

To make hair, clothes, or a surface messy

is specifically about soiling with mud rather than mere untidiness

to muddy

vsto muck up

5 1.9

Make something dirty with mud or sediment

refers more to physical soiling than to making things unclear

to louse up

vsto muck up

Informal

4 8.1

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

is about physically making something filthy rather than poor performance

to muck

vsto muck up

3 3.5

To make something dirty with mud

is the same meaning but is the shorter form

to bedraggle

vsto muck up

1 9.9

Make someone or something wet and dirty by moving through muddy ground

refers generally to soiling rather than wet dragging specifically

to rile

vsto muck up

1 8.8

Make water muddy by stirring up dirt

is about soiling objects rather than clouding liquids

to mire

vsto muck up

1 7.9

To make something dirty by covering it with mud

is broader and not limited to wet sticky soiling

to mud

vsto muck up

1 5.1

To cover a surface with soft wet earth to make it smooth

is about soiling rather than deliberate application for building

to smirch

vsto muck up

Archaic

1 9.9

To put a dirty mark on something like a dress or carpet

is mainly about physical filth rather than lasting stains or marks

to muddy up

vsto muck up

1 3.5

To make something dirty with wet dirt, for example shoes or floors

can also mean making dirty with other kinds of filth

to grime

vsto muck up

1 6.6

To make something dirty by covering it with dirt or soot

is broader, not limited to thin greasy or dark residue

to draggle

vsto muck up

1 9.4

Make something wet and dirty by pulling it through mud or water

is the general act of soiling, not only by dragging through wet

to bemire

vsto muck up

9.9

To cover someone or something with mud

expresses the same action without extra nuance

to smut

vsto muck up

Archaic

7.9

To stain something with black dirt or soot

is more general than staining by soot or similar residues

to gung

vsto muck up

9.9

To make something dirty with a sticky or greasy substance

is about soiling with mud or filth rather than sticky grease

to colly

vsto muck up

Archaic

9.9

To make something dirty or stained

is focused on mud or filth rather than general staining

to misfuck

vsto muck up

Offensive

9.9

To ruin something completely by making serious mistakes

refers to making something dirty with mud or filth rather than ruin

Antonyms

to clean

∞ 1.0

To remove dirt and stains

to purify

30 4.6

To remove dirt and bad chemicals from water or air to make them clean

How Dirty

to pollute

109 3.4

to muck up

Informal

6.7

to soil

59 4.5

Surface Forms

muck up infinitive

mucked up past

mucked up past participle

mucking up present participle

mucks up third person singular

Morphology

muck + up

The base verb 'muck' (to soil or make dirty) plus the particle 'up' (which often signals completion/intensification) yields a clear metaphorical meaning of making a mess of or spoiling something. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can usually infer this extended sense, though the specific collocational use for 'making mistakes' is somewhat idiomatic and may require minimal exposure.

Etymology

Muck up comes from the word muck, meaning dirt or wet mud, and the idea of covering something with it, so to muck up originally meant to make something dirty. That's why today muck up still often means 'to make something dirty'.