fuck up

See also: fuckup and fuck-up

English

Alternative forms

• fuck-up
• (noun) fuckup

Pronunciation

• (noun) IPA^(key): /ˈfʌkˌʌp/
• (verb) IPA^(key): /ˌfʌkˈʌp/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: (verb) -ʌp

Verb

fuck up (third-person singular simple present fucks up, present participle fucking up, simple past and past participle fucked up)

1. (intransitive, slang, vulgar) To make a mistake, to go wrong.

   Synonyms: screw up, mess up; see also Thesaurus:make a mistake

   You really fucked up this time.

   • 2023, Thomas Chatterton Williams, “The People Who Don’t Read Books”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     When I was in my 20s and writing my first book—I know, I really fucked up there[.]

2. (transitive, vulgar) To botch or make a mess of.

   I fucked up question 3 of the exam.

   • 2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[2]:

     Tyrion is made to be a strategic fool. I haven’t been as hard on this aspect of the season as others, because I buy that Tyrion might overestimate himself in military matters. But face-to-face negotiation with power players in the capital? Now that really is his bread and butter, and after a season of fucking things up in Dragonstone, he once again completely misreads the situation in King’s Landing.

3. (transitive, vulgar) To injure or damage badly.

   Synonym: mar

   I fucked up my knee while running the marathon.

   • 1971, Philip Larkin, This Be The Verse:

     They fuck you up, your mum and dad. / They may not mean to, but they do. / They fill you with the faults they had / And add some extra, just for you.

   • 1991, “Sax and Violins”, in Once in a Lifetime – The Best of Talking Heads, performed by Talking Heads:

     Mom and Pop, they will fuck you up / For sure / Love so deep, kills you in your sleep / It's true

   • 1993, “Shame on a Nigga”, in Wu-Tang Clan (music), Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers):

     Shame on a nigga who try to run game on a nigga / Wu buck wild with the trigger! / Shame on a nigga who try to run game on a nigga / I'll fuck your ass up!

   • 2006, “The Hand of the Almighty”, in John R. Butler (music), Surprise!:

     He'll fuck you up, yes, God will fuck you up / If you dare to disobey His stern command. / He'll fuck you up, don't you know He'll fuck you up? / So you better do some prayin' while you can.

   • 2010, 16:51 from the start, in Action 52 (NES) - Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN)‎^[3], James Rolfe (actor):

     What are these, hookers? I guess this guy doesn't understand the concept of a hooker. You're supposed to fuck her, not fuck her up.

4. (vulgar) To cause someone to make a big mistake.
5. (used only in imperative, vulgar) Ellipsis of shut the fuck up.

   Fuck up, mate! I don't want to listen to you!

Translations

to make a mistake, to go wrong

• Danish: fejle, mislykkes
• Dutch: (het) verknallen
• Finnish: möhliä (fi), möhlätä (fi), mokata (fi), munata (fi), tunaroida (fi), ryssiä (fi)
• French: merder (fr), foirer (fr), déconner (fr)
• German: Mist bauen
• Hungarian: csődöt mond
• Italian: fare una cazzata, farla grossa
• Lithuanian: suknisti
• Macedonian: заебува (zaebuva)
• Polish: zjebać (pl) pf, nawalić (pl) pf, spierdolić (pl)
• Portuguese: fazer besteira, meter os pés pelas mãos, foder tudo (Brazil)
• Romanian: face de căcat, a da greş, face de oaie, da în bară, scrânti (ro)
• Russian: накосячить (ru) (nakosjačitʹ)
• Slovak: dojebať to
• Spanish: cagarla (es) (vulgar, standard), joderla (es), fastidiarla (es) (Spain), meter la pata (es), pifiar (es)
• Swedish: misslyckas (sv), göra bort sig (sv)

to botch or make a mess of

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: ødelægge (da)
• Dutch: verneuken (nl)
• Esperanto: paneigi
• Finnish: möhliä (fi), möhlätä (fi), mokata (fi), munata (fi), tunaroida (fi), ryssiä (fi)
• French: foirer (fr)
• German: verbocken (de)
• Hebrew: לפשל (lefashel)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: заебува (zaebuva)
• Polish: uwalić (pl) pf, zjebać (pl) pf, spierdolić (pl) pf, rozkurwić pf, spieprzyć (pl) pf
• Russian: запороть (ru) (zaporotʹ)
• Slovak: dojebať
• Swedish: sabba (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

to injure or damage

• Armenian: բերանը քունել (beranə kʿunel)
• Bulgarian: развалям (bg) (razvaljam)
• Catalan: fotre (ca), cagar-la (ca)
• Danish: skade (da), ødelægge (da)
• Dutch: verpesten (nl), naar de kloten helpen
• Esperanto: rompi (eo), damaĝi
• Finnish: rikkoa (fi), särkeä (fi), vahingoittaa (fi), pistää paskaksi (vulgar), paskoa (fi) (vulgar)
• French: bousiller (fr), péter (fr), niquer (fr), défoncer (fr), foutre en l’air (fr)
• Greek: γαμώ (el) (gamó)
• Hungarian: elbasz (hu), elkúr (hu)
• Interlingua: futuer (ia)
• Khmer: បំផ្លាញ (km) (bɑmplaaɲ)
• Latvian: sapist
• Lithuanian: supisti
• Macedonian: заебува (zaebuva)
• Polish: rozpierdolić (pl), rozjebać (pl)
• Portuguese: foder (pt)
• Romanian: fute (ro), strica (ro), defecta (ro), deteriora (ro), avaria (ro), răni (ro), (-şi) vătăma (ceva) (ro)
• Russian: разъеба́ть (ru) pf (razʺjebátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: mill, sgrios, creach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: разјебати, сјебати (vulgar), развалити, баталити, уништити

  Latin: razjebati (sh), sjebati (sh) (vulgar), razvaliti (sh), bataliti (sh), uništiti (sh)

• Slovak: rozjebať
• Slovene: zjebati, sfukati
• Spanish: joder (es), cagar (es), (Colombia) tirar (es), (Mexico) chingar (es)
• Swedish: skada (sv), sabba (sv)
• Turkish: sikip atmak, becermek (tr), halletmek (tr), canına okumak (tr)

to cause someone to make a big mistake

• Finnish: naruttaa (fi), kusettaa (fi)

to shut up — see shut up

See also

• FUBAR

Noun

fuck up (plural fuck ups)

1. Alternative spelling of fuckup