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
Instead, the bit reduced a palpable slight to just another funny slip-up.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 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
“Noxzema is disgusting,” Maya said, ignoring Lauren’s slip-up.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
“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
They also need defending champions France to slip up at home to England.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
“It’s invisible until you slip up, and then it becomes visible,” McClary said.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026
Craig Bellamy's men knew they could still pip Belgium to automatic qualification from Group J with a win, but would need the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists to slip up at home to Liechtenstein.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
He would use words a foot long and then slip up on his grammar.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
