slip-up
noun
a mistake, blunder, or oversight.
slip-up
American
[slip-uhp]
/ ˈslɪpˌʌp /
noun
slip up
British
verb
-
informal to make a blunder or mistake; err
-
to fall over
he slipped up in the street
noun
slip up
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of slip-up
First recorded in 1850–55; noun use of verb phrase slip 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.
See Examples For:
Mrs. Biden mentions that episode as if it were a minor slip-up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
The authors suggest approaching each slip-up with curiosity rather than judgment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Kihara said that he had been "feeling really down" and blamed himself for the slip-up, conceding: "We did not think we would win."
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
England may have dodged an embarrasing slip-up here, but will be aware things are not going to get any easier.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025
“Noxzema is disgusting,” Maya said, ignoring Lauren’s slip-up.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
Before filing arrest warrants, Johnson likes to contact alleged fraudsters to see if panic will make them slip up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
“We’re in this environment where if you ever slip up at all in any capacity, you get punished for apologizing,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
"All we can do is be brave. Be in the neck of Arsenal and if they slip up, use it."
From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026
“It’s invisible until you slip up, and then it becomes visible,” McClary said.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026
I slip up quietly and sit down beside him.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
