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
Nixon also makes a notable slip-up in one of the speech’s key moments.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
His only slip-up came on the short par-four third, where he badly overcooked his second and took three putts from 49 feet.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
Instead, the bit reduced a palpable slight to just another funny slip-up.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
“Noxzema is disgusting,” Maya said, ignoring Lauren’s slip-up.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
After Liverpool's slip up at Crystal Palace the previous day, suddenly Arsenal were only two points off the top.
From BBC ● May 19, 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
O’Toole, at George Mason, said pressure from the intense manhunt will eventually cause the shooter to slip up and either be spotted by the public or revealed by a friend or family member.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
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.
