- A vulgar phrasal verb meaning to make a serious mistake, to ruin something, or to handle something badly.
- Can also be used as a noun (a fuck-up) meaning a mistake or a person who frequently makes mistakes.
- Can also be used as an imperative (Fuck up!) meaning go away or get lost, though this is less common than Fuck off!.
Explanation
Origin
- Fuck used as an intensifier combined with up (meaning completion or reaching a bad state, similar to mess up or screw up).
- Became common in the 20th century, particularly in military and informal slang.
Synonyms & Related Expressions
Alternatives
Slang/Informal:
- Screw up: Very common, less vulgar substitute.
- Mess up: Common, quite mild.
- Botch: Implies clumsy execution.
- Blow it: Implies failing at a crucial moment.
- Shit the bed (Vulgar): To fail spectacularly.
- Drop the ball: To fail in one's responsibilities.
Vulgar/Emphatic:
- Fuck up royally: To make a very big mistake.
- Clusterfuck (See 0620): A situation ruined by multiple errors.
Milder:
- Make a mistake
- Err (Formal)
- Goof up (Very informal, implies minor error)
- Make an error / Commit an error
Situational Appropriateness
- Highly informal and vulgar.
- Avoid in professional, formal, or polite settings.
- Common in casual conversation among peers, especially when discussing mistakes or failures frankly.
Misunderstanding Warnings
- Needs to be distinguished from Fuck off (go away) or other uses of fuck. Focus is on error/failure.
- The noun form fuck-up (person) is a very harsh judgment of character.
Examples
- (Verb) I really fucked up the presentation. (Made serious mistakes)
- (Verb) Don't fuck up this opportunity. (Don't ruin it)
- (Noun mistake) The project delay was a major fuck-up.
- (Noun person) He's a complete fuck-up, always getting fired.
- (Related adjective) My computer is all fucked up. (Broken, malfunctioning)
Dialogue
Person A: How did the exam go?
Person B: Terrible. I completely fucked up the last question.
Person C: This whole situation is a fuck-up.
Person D: Tell me about it. Who was responsible for booking the venue?
Social Media Examples
- Tweet: Totally fucked up my sleep schedule this weekend. #MondayMorning
- Reddit Post: I fucked up by quitting my job before finding a new one. What now?
- Comment: That company really fucked up their PR response.
Response Patterns
- (To someone admitting they fucked up): Sympathy (Oh no, what happened?), asking for details, offering help, minimizing (It's okay, we can fix it).
- (To being told they fucked up): Defensiveness (It wasn't my fault!), acceptance (Yeah, I know.), anger.
- (To describing something as fucked up): Agreement (Yeah, it's totally messed up.), asking why.
Common Follow-up Questions/Actions
- After someone says I fucked up: How bad is it?, What happened exactly?, Can it be fixed?.
- After identifying a fuck-up: Discussing how to rectify the mistake, assigning blame, expressing frustration.
Conversation Starter
- No. Usually used to describe a negative event or situation, not to start a chat.
Intonation
- When used as a verb, stress is often on up: I fucked UP.
- When used as a noun, stress is on fuck: It was a FUCK-up. or He's a FUCK-up.
- Tone usually conveys regret, anger, frustration, or disappointment.
Generation Differences
- Widely understood and used across most adult generations, though perhaps more frequent among younger people (Gen X onwards).
Regional Variations
- Very common in North American English.
- Also common in UK/Aus/NZ English. British English might also use cock up (verb/noun, vulgar) similarly.