flub
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flub
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; origin uncertain
Explanation
To flub something is to really mess it up. When a movie actor flubs his lines, the scene can be filmed again. But, if he's a stage actor, there's no way to fix the mistake. Even a star basketball player flubs an easy layup sometimes, and the very best students occasionally flub a quiz. The mistake or blunder itself can also be called a flub: "The concert was terrible, full of flubs." The word's been around since the 1920's, possibly influenced by words like "fluff" and "flop," and definitely coined in the United States.
Vocabulary lists containing flub
Awkward Moments
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Race to the Sun
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The Fourteenth Goldfish
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After her debate flub, Graham tried to spin it by saying she focused on “kitchen-table issues” such as affordability.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Yesterday, we asked whether you’ve encountered an AI flub.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Intel’s stock has crashed 17%, wiping out more than $46 billion in market value, since executives revealed the flub on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
The “Cold Mountain” gaffe was a rare instance of a “Good Hang” research flub, one that inadvertently managed to illuminate more of Paltrow’s self-perception.
From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2026
The first time through the bridge, I totally flub it.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
Two years later, having un-retired, Messi flubbed another one at the World Cup in Russia in an embarrassing 1-1 draw against Iceland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
I was grateful for Richard when I began doing another exercise video on repeat, one led by a frigid ballerina who never flubbed or joked.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2024
Aliyah Alpert, who finished ninth in 2022, missed the bee entirely last year because she flubbed the word “recoup” in the Yavapai County spelling bee in her home state of Arizona.
From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2024
Delivering big speeches has never been Biden’s strong suit, and, as he often does, he flubbed a few of the lines from his prepared text.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
“I flubbed a couple of lines,” said Via, shaking her head.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
The Minion is a movie star flubbing that leap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
When he ran for prime minister last year, there were real questions about whether he would take to the political side of the job, and he stumbled at times, flubbing his French, for instance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
The reasoning is straightforward: Why take a risk of legitimizing his rivals, or becoming a target on stage, or just flubbing, when you’re already in a category of your own?
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2023
Bard did nearly as well, but it interpreted one “9” as a “0,” thus flubbing the final total.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 5, 2023
I mentally resolved to press even at the chance of flubbing.
From John Henry Smith A Humorous Romance of Outdoor Life by Frederick Upham Adams
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
