as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
when she was told her information was wrong, she apologized for the flub and immediately corrected it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
added too much flour and flubbed the gravy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
at some point in your training you're going to flub, so don't let it rattle you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flub
Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
This time, Trump’s team is better prepared to move past their flubs, says Timothy Naftali, an expert on the presidency at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
Their entries were problematic and routine passes got flubbed.
—Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flub
Noun
Emma Stone, Oprah work out flubs at Oscar rehearsal: 'This isn't really real' What makes the perfect GlamBOT?
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
This time, Trump’s team is better prepared to move past their flubs, says Timothy Naftali, an expert on the presidency at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025
Verb
Late last month, the company’s technology also appeared to flub a notification for a New York Times story about an arrest warrant being issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
Their entries were problematic and routine passes got flubbed.
—Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flub
Noun
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There have been expensive product mistakes and lots of trial and error with brushes, clips, hair dryers….—
Liz Krieger,
Allure,
15 Apr. 2025
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Case in point, over one-third of a side’s chance creation from a one-off mistake by their opponent, isn’t a formula for lasting success.—
Brett Koremenos,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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These are both great, morally complex characters with compelling stories and the trailer certainly looks terrific: However much Disney has fumbled the Star Wars IP over the last decade, the animated stuff has mostly been quite good.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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The characters in Megan Howell’s short stories, which glide into scenes of magical realism, are lonely people facing the harsh realities of an often violent world and fumbling toward something more hopeful.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Woman Makes 'Creepy' Find In Thrift Store By Alice Gibbs Senior Life and Trends Reporter Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 A thrift store shopper from Scotland stumbled on something unexpected in her local store when a beautiful glass paperweight caught her eye.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
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Contractors renovating a historic home in Belgium stumbled upon the entrance to a secret tunnel identified by archaeologists as an escape route from World War I.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The lawyer, author and consulting firm CEO has spent more than 30 years counseling people through their biggest blunders and controversies, from former president George H. W. Bush to Fortune 500 CEOs and professional athletes.—
Ashton Jackson,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2025
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Russell Westbrook bounced back from his decisive blunder against Minnesota by scoring a season-high 30 points and adding 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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April 17, 2025 The wind gusts could blow around unsecured objects and a few power outages may occur, the National Weather Service advised.—
Ashley Fredde,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Apr. 2025
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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To drag their 13-3 record to that depth, the Padres would have to fall apart and trip over themselves numerous other times.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2025
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While the elites were busy tripping over themselves to dismiss his campaign, President Trump was busy shining a light on the issues that matter to everyday Americans.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the last two decades, five helicopters on commercial sightseeing flights have crashed into the Hudson and East rivers due to mechanical failures, pilot errors, or collisions, resulting in 20 fatalities.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
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For example, chatbots with a high error rate will leave you with customers who no longer trust your website.—
John Hall,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Deborah botches the presser that follows by refusing to respond to ageist, sexist questions with witty banter — a totally foreseeable scenario that Ava anticipated and prepared for, but Deborah tossed Ava’s jokes in the trash.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
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To read Scott is to feel the fatalistic sense that civilization may have been botched from the beginning.—
Nikil Saval,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flub. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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