trip up

1. Make or cause someone to make a mistake, as in The other finalist tripped up when he was asked to spell “trireme,” or They tripped him up with that difficult question. [Second half of 1700s]

Example Sentences

It’s virtually certain that type of team will get tripped up along the way.

From Los Angeles Times

The first big day in the Pyrenees arrives on Thursday with a trip up to the ski resort at Hautacam.

From BBC

But though the hits keep coming, book banners eventually get tripped up by the same problem: The people on whose behalf all this noise is ostensibly made.

From Salon

"When you are on a wartime footing, there's a sense of urgency. The urgency of delivering the service becomes more important than rules that sometimes trip up bureaucracies," he says.

From BBC

Will Wilson followed that with a spinning ball up the third base line, its awkward hop off the edge of the infield grass tripping up Max Muncy for another infield single.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flounder 
• hesitate 
• reel 
• waver 
• wobble