flub

American  

[fluhb] / flʌb /

verb (used with or without object)

flubbed, flubbing

1. to perform poorly; blunder; bungle.

   He flubbed the last shot and lost the match.

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noun

1. a blunder.

flub British  

/ flʌb /

noun

1. an embarrassing mistake or blunder

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verb

1. (intr) to blunder or make an embarrassing mistake

Other Word Forms

• flubber
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of flub

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; origin uncertain

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flub flubbed flubbing

Even Moore acknowledged the flub that had torpedoed his team’s chances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

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

There is a lot of faith in last year’s expansion club, but the potential draft-day flub of trading away Flau’jae Johnson has shaken some of that.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

Plus, Cher’s onstage flub, Bad Bunny’s strong words for ICE and Justin Bieber’s stripped-down performance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

The same face I’d watched flub up Abraham Lincoln’s assassination just hours before stared back at me, although I looked a little paler now.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

In the first half of his first game back, Tatum flubbed a dunk and O’Malley winced.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

Redick said Saturday the Lakers flubbed eight of their 12 after timeout plays against Memphis on Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 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

Whenever I flubbed a line or didn’t perform an action at the right moment, my score decreased and a warning flashed on my display.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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

He was in a wheelchair at this point and was talking but kept flubbing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2022

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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