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
Arsenal are just three wins away from becoming Premier League champions for the first time since 2004, but can they avoid a slip-up against third-bottom West Ham on Sunday?
From BBC ● May 7, 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
Kelsea has email access on her phone, but I’m still worried about anything being traced, especially after my slip-up with Nathan.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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
If you slip up, "the most helpful response is curiosity rather than criticism" and instead of waiting for the following week or next month to start again, you should treat every day as a reset.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025
Marcos Llorente was a welcome return to the Atletico starting line-up after injury, and Simeone's team never looked likely to slip up against the team in 18th.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
"Don't see how I can slip up on it. Hope I look all right."
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
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.
