snafu

[ sna-foo, snaf-oo ]
See synonyms for: snafusnafuing on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a badly confused or ridiculously muddled situation: A ballot snafu in the election led to a recount.

  2. an error or miscalculation, especially one leading to a confused or muddled situation:After some snafu deleted all my data files, I've finally managed to rebuild everything—I think!

adjective
  1. Also sna·fued . in disorder; out of control; chaotic: What you’re proposing is a snafu scheme that simply won't work.

verb (used with object),sna·fued, sna·fu·ing.
  1. to throw into disorder; muddle: Losing his passport snafued the whole vacation.

Origin of snafu

1
First recorded in 1940–45; s(ituation) n(ormal): a(ll) f(ucked) u(p); sometimes euphemistically construed as f(ouled) u(p)

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use snafu in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for snafu

snafu

/ (snæˈfuː) slang mainly military /


noun
  1. confusion or chaos regarded as the normal state

adjective
  1. (postpositive) confused or muddled up, as usual

verb-fus, -fuing or -fued
  1. (tr) US and Canadian to throw into chaos

Origin of snafu

1
C20: from s (ituation) n (ormal): a (ll) f (ucked or ouled) u (p)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012