Synonyms and antonyms of To make a mistake, or to do something badly in British Thesaurus

mess up ()

to make a mistake, or to do something badly

blunder (verb)

to make a careless or embarrassing mistake

slip up ()

to make a careless mistake

err (verb)

formal to make a mistake, especially in a judgment or decision

get something wrong ()

to make a mistake about something

trip up ()

to make a mistake, or to cause someone to make a mistake

foul up ()

to do something wrong, or to spoil something, especially by making mistakes

fall short ()

to not reach a particular level or to fail to achieve something that you were trying to do

stumble (verb)

to make a mistake when you are trying to achieve something

miss (verb)

to fail to hit or reach something that you aim at

balls up ()

to do something very badly and make a lot of mistakes

be miles out ()

to make a guess or calculation that is completely wrong

blunder (verb)

to move or progress in a careless way, making mistakes or creating problems as you go

bodge (verb)

Britishinformal to do something badly, especially to make or repair something badly because you do not have enough time or the right materials to do it properly

boob (verb)

Britishinformal to make a stupid or embarrassing mistake

botch (verb)

informal to do something very badly or carelessly

bugger up (British)

Britishimpolite to spoil something or do something badly

bungle (verb)

to spoil something by doing it very badly

burn your fingers ()

to have a bad experience when something such as a relationship or a business deal goes wrong

cock up ()

to spoil something by doing it wrongly

confuse (verb)

to think wrongly that a person or thing is someone or something else

excel yourself (humorous)

humorous used when someone has in fact done even worse than they usually do

flub (verb)

Americaninformal to make a mistake or do something badly

fluff (verb)

informal to do something badly

fool around with ()

to handle or use something in a stupid or careless way

fuck up (offensive)

offensive an extremely offensive expression that means to make a serious mistake, or to fail completely

fumble (verb)

to say something in a way that is not skilful or effective

go astray ()

to become lost or go to the wrong place

go astray ()

to go wrong or do something wrong

goof (verb)

mainly American to make a stupid mistake

hash up ()

to do something very badly

hit/miss the mark ()

to achieve/not achieve the result that you intended

learn the hard way ()

to learn how to do something by trying to do it and making a lot of mistakes

let down ()

to work less hard or make more mistakes than the people who you are working with

let (it) slip ()

to tell someone something that is secret by mistake

let the side down (informal)

informal to work less hard or to make more mistakes than the people who you are working with

lose your touch ()

to not be as successful at doing something as you were before

louse up ()

to do something badly

make a botch of something (informal)

informal to do something badly or carelessly

make a good/bad job of (doing) something ()

to do something well or badly

make a hash of something ()

to do something very badly or with very bad results

make a Horlicks of something ()

to make a lot of mistakes when you are doing something. People say this to avoid saying ‘make a bollocks of something’.

make a mess of (doing) something ()

to make a lot of mistakes when you are doing or dealing with something

make a pig’s ear of something ()

to do something very badly

mangle (verb)

to say, write, or perform words or music so badly that it is hard to recognize them

miscalculate (verb)

to make a mistake in calculating numbers

misdiagnose (verb)

to be wrong about what illness someone has

misdirect (verb)

to use something wrongly or for the wrong purpose

mishandle (verb)

to handle an object carelessly

mishandle (verb)

to deal with a situation or process badly or without enough care

misjudge (verb)

to make an incorrect calculation

misquote (verb)

to report wrongly what someone said or wrote

misread (verb)

to read something wrongly

mistake for ()

to think that a person or thing is someone or something else

mistime (verb)

to do something at the wrong time with the result that you are not successful

mix up ()

to think that one person or thing is another person or thing

muck up ()

to not deal with something well or skilfully so that you do not achieve what you intended

muddle (verb)

to think that someone or something is another person or thing as a result of a mistake

muff (verb)

informal to do something badly

murder (verb)

informal to do something so badly that you spoil it completely

overplay your hand ()

to believe you are in a stronger situation or position than you really are and fail as a result

overshoot (verb)

to accidentally pass the place where you should have stopped

play (right/straight) into someone’s hands ()

to do something that helps someone who you are competing against

put up a good/poor show ()

to do something well/badly

screw up (very informal)

very informal to make a serious mistake, or to spoil something, especially a situation

shoot yourself in the foot ()

to say or do something stupid that causes you trouble

speak/talk out of turn ()

to say something that you should not say because you have no right to say it or because it upsets someone

stray (verb)

to move away from the correct place or path

stumble (verb)

to make a mistake when you are speaking

succeed (verb)

used for saying that someone’s actions have a negative result that is the opposite of what they intended

to err is human (formal)

formal used for saying that it is natural for people to sometimes make mistakes