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.
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
A big plus about the tight, top-eight team format of the ICC Champions Trophy is that a little slip-up can cost even the heavyweights dear.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2025
It was unlike Clarence to be violent, so what happened next was more about his embarrassment over the slip-up than his true nature.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
