muck-up

American

[muhk-uhp] / ˈmʌkˌʌp /

noun

Informal.

a bungled or disordered situation; foul-up.

muck up British

verb

(tr) to ruin or spoil; make a mess of
(intr) to misbehave

"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

muck up Idioms

Bungle, damage, make a mess of, as in Don't let him write the review; he's sure to muck it up. This idiom alludes to the verb muck in the sense of “spread manure on.” [Early 1900s] For a synonym, see foul up.

Etymology

Origin of muck-up

First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase muck up

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.

It freed up the Cougs to score in ways that aren’t possible with Cluff and Chinyelu, both of whom lack a perimeter game, allowing defenses to sag off and muck up the spacing.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024

No. 5 Duke Saturday Pick: The Volunteers’ defense will muck up Duke’s flow and frustrate the Blue Devils’ freshman ensemble.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2023

Halo cockpits have drawn ire from some motorsports fans because of how it can muck up the aesthetics.

From The Verge • Jul. 4, 2022

Because Butler is a weak 3-point shooter, Boston will crowd the paint and muck up Miami’s spacing.

From New York Times • May 17, 2022

I muck up my mother’s kitchen floor and pots, cooking the gesso, and ruin panel after panel before I can work out how to paint it on for a smooth working surface.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023