What does "fool up" mean (sense 1)?

To ruin or spoil something through foolish or careless actions. Example: "Don't fool up this presentation — it's really important."

fool up

B2 informal separable transitive/intransitive

To ruin or spoil something by making a foolish mistake.

In plain English

Make a big mistake and ruin something.

One main meaning — here's how to use it.

1 B2 idiomatic informal

uncommon

To ruin or spoil something through foolish or careless actions.

"Don't fool up this presentation — it's really important."

separable

Usage tip

Less common than 'foul up' or 'mess up'. May be used as a euphemism for stronger expressions. Primarily American English.

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

plan job situation deal chance

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base

fool up

I/you/we/they

3rd person

fools up

he/she/it

Past simple

fooled up

yesterday

Past participle

fooled up

have + pp

-ing form

fooling up

continuous

Listen to native speakers using "fool up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

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