bollixes (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of bollix (up)
as in fumbles
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way you've bollixed up the whole thing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bollixes (up)
  1. fumbles
  2. blows
  3. ruins
  4. murders
  5. boots
  6. dubs
  7. screws up
Verb
  • DeLand was driving inside the 20 yard line and Taihj Moore fumbles, recovered by Lake Mary.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Buford scored 17 points off three Gainesville fumbles on punt plays.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumbles
Verb
  • Policymakers' ignorance of oil market mechanics becomes clear only when geopolitics enters the picture and blows it all to hell, either figuratively or literally.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The exhaust port blows to the rear to allow for quick cleaning of leaves and grass clippings.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • George Santos simply cannot get up After surprising the DS by passing the first task — falling out of a hovering helicopter backward — Santos ruins his big moment by struggling to swim to the dock and not being able to lift himself out of the water.
    — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Nothing ruins an outfit faster than an ill-fitting bra, which is why this V-neck option caught our eye.
    — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruins
Verb
  • By definition, a serial killer is someone who murders two or more people during separate events, with gaps of time in between.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • To get even with Kanan, Juke murders Raq, her surrogate mother.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of murders
Verb
  • Olise always takes it and boots the ball straight out of play.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Dominic Zvada boots a 31-yard field goal to give the Wolverines the lead.
    — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
Definition of boots
Verb
  • There’s a hard deck on how low my esteem for a guy who dubs Reacher HoboCop can go.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Southern regional language dubs in Telugu and Tamil added further momentum across key circuits.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of dubs
Verb
  • But what really screws up Julia are the deliveries.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Kyle tries to jump up the wall, lands awkwardly, and screws up his ankle.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of screws up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

bollixes
bollixes (up)
bollixing (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Bollixes (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bollixes%20%28up%29. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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