trip up

Idioms  

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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trip up

“I don’t think this will trip up their plans for the studio’s future,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

There are endless so-called edge cases—unusual situations—that could trip up self-driving cars.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Thick hair, tattoos, darker pigmentation or aggressive movement can trip up sensors, says John Schuna, associate professor of kinesiology at Oregon State University.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

But a year after her last trip up a mountain, while working in communications, she became so ill her parents had to rush her to hospital, where she realised she could not feel her legs.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

Then we all crammed inside for the four-hour trip up winding, rutted roads to the mountains.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

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