🟤 To make dirty 💭 To confuse

to muddy up

1 3.5

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

phrasal verb
/ˈmʌdi ʌp/

: ensuciar

It's easy to muddy up a clear message if you add too many details.

Examples

You might muddy up your nice clothes.

Fiction book (1992)
Be careful not to muddy up your shoes when walking through the park after the rain.
The children liked to muddy up their hands while playing in the garden.

Synonyms

to mess

vsto muddy up

248 1.0

To make something untidy or dirty

requires the dirt to come from wet earth rather than general untidiness

to smear

vsto muddy up

63 3.7

To spread a substance over a surface in a messy way

involves covering with wet earth rather than simply smearing any paste

to soil

vsto muddy up

59 4.5

To make something dirty with mud or dirt

is limited to staining caused by wet earth rather than any dirt

to mess up

vsto muddy up

Informal

52 3.0

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

focuses specifically on being covered or mixed with wet earth

to dirty

vsto muddy up

14 1.0

To make something unclean or covered with dirt

refers specifically to soiling by covering or mixing with wet earth

to muss

vsto muddy up

6 7.9

To make hair, clothes, or a surface messy

is the specific act of covering with wet earth to soil it

to muddy

vsto muddy up

5 1.9

Make something dirty with mud or sediment

focuses specifically on soiling by wet earth rather than any dirt

to muck

vsto muddy up

3 3.5

To make something dirty with mud

applies specifically to soiling by wet earth mixed onto it

to bedraggle

vsto muddy up

1 9.9

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

is about intentionally covering or mixing items with wet earth

to rile

vsto muddy up

1 8.8

Make water muddy by stirring up dirt

is broader, meaning to cover things with wet earth rather than stirring

to mud

vsto muddy up

1 5.1

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

is about making things dirty by mixing with wet earth

to mire

vsto muddy up

1 7.9

To make something dirty by covering it with mud

is the same action but stresses general wet earth soiling

to smirch

vsto muddy up

Archaic

1 9.9

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

relates specifically to being covered by wet earth rather than mere stains

to draggle

vsto muddy up

1 9.4

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

is similar but also covers adding wet earth without dragging motion

to bespatter

vsto muddy up

1 8.9

To splash mud or water onto something and make it dirty

involves broader covering by wet earth rather than only small splashes

to grime

vsto muddy up

1 6.6

To make something dirty by covering it with dirt or soot

describes the same soiling but caused specifically by wet earth

to mudding

vsto muddy up

Specialized

4.6

To cover something with mud or with a soft wall paste, for example on drywall

is about soiling objects by covering them with wet earth

to bemire

vsto muddy up

9.9

To cover someone or something with mud

is a neutral way to describe being covered with wet earth

to muck up

vsto muddy up

Informal

6.7

To make something dirty with mud or dirt

narrows this to being soiled by wet earth specifically

to drabble

vsto muddy up

Archaic

9.9

To splash and make something wet or dirty, for example mud on shoes

implies a broader covering with wet earth rather than tiny splashes

to smut

vsto muddy up

Archaic

7.9

To stain something with black dirt or soot

is about soiling by wet earth rather than dark dry residues

to smutch

vsto muddy up

Archaic

9.9

To make a dirty mark or smudge on something

is about heavier covering with wet earth rather than small marks

to colly

vsto muddy up

Archaic

9.9

To make something dirty or stained

specifies that the soiling comes from wet earth mixed onto it

to gung

vsto muddy up

9.9

To make something dirty with a sticky or greasy substance

is about soiling by wet earth rather than oily or sticky substances

Antonyms

to clean

∞ 1.0

To remove dirt and stains

How Muddy

to muddy up

1 3.5

to muddy

5 1.9

to dirty

14 1.0

to soil

59 4.5

Surface Forms

muddy up infinitive

muddied up past

muddied up past participle

muddying up present participle

muddies up third person singular

Morphology

muddy + up

The verb 'muddy' already means to obscure or confuse, and the particle 'up' here functions as an intensifier/completive, so 'muddy up' straightforwardly means to make something more unclear or complicated. This compositional pattern (verb + up = increase/intensify the verb's action) is common and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Muddy up comes from the clear picture of covering something with mud: when you step in a puddle the mud splashes and makes your shoes or the floor dirty, and the up adds the sense of the action being done fully. That's why muddy up means 'to make something dirty'.