GOOFING (UP) Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

goofing (up)

verb

present participle of goof (up)

as in fumbling

to make a mistake we must have goofed up somewhere, because this cake clearly didn't turn out right

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in blowing

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way he goofed up his first sale at the dealership

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goofing (up)

Verb

Specifically, Nico Iamaleava struggled, fumbling once and throwing interceptions to Oregon’s Koi Perich and Jerry Mixon.

— Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Fittingly, the game ended on Oregon fumbling while trying to run a series of laterals down the field as time expired.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of fumbling

Verb

This inspires Other Mommy to gruesomely kill Frank in front of Bela, including blowing his head up in an outrageous explosion of blood.

— William Earl, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Gray noise, per The New York Times, may sound like wind blowing or steady rainfall and works for apartment dwellers sensitive to sharp or fluctuating noises.

— Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of blowing

Verb

Unlike every other film genre, the history of horror, at least since the 1950s, is a story of amateurs stumbling in the dark.

— Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Instead of stumbling like the Phillies and Cubs, the Padres surged and took with them the #1 Wild Card spot, earning the right to host this series.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of stumbling

Verb

In overtime, the Golden Knights quickly took advantage of a tripping penalty on Kings center Scott Laughton.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Behar, who dislocated the shoulder after catching her heel and tripping last week at The View‘s ABC studio building in New York, is expected to return to the show next week.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of tripping

Verb

Arsenal are firmly in title-chasing mode and goal difference could still prove crucial, despite Manchester City slipping up against Everton on Monday.

— Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 7 May 2026
But knowing Olson’s proclivity for slipping up in hysterical fashion made the match that much more appealing.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 May 2026

Definition of slipping up

Verb

But life has a way of mucking up even the best plans, sometimes all at once and sometimes bit by bit and usually a little of both.

— Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Amid the memory shortage that's mucking up component prices globally, at least Qualcomm has some promising news for folks hoping to pay less for a daily driver.

— Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026

Definition of mucking 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

goofing on

goofing (up)

goof (off)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Goofing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goofing%20%28up%29. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of goofing (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nexus

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes