a person who habitually makes mistakes, spoils things, gets into trouble, etc., especially through carelessness or irresponsibility.
a mistake, blunder, malfunction, or the like.
First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase goof up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The NFL vehemently disagreed with Steratore’s contention and a day later Steratore owned up to his goof-up.
From Washington Times • Oct. 31, 2023
But it appears to have been decades since the last goof-up, so notching two in the same year was striking.
From Washington Times • Dec. 27, 2017
Yet perhaps there's more to a verbal goof-up than a mere case of the stupids.
From Salon • Jun. 21, 2011
Described by one department official as "the biggest goof-up we've ever had," this double system of false signatures gave defense attorneys a chance to challenge the Government successfully in lower courts.
From Time Magazine Archive
Says one Justice Department official: "This is the biggest goof-up we've ever had."
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions 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.
