muck

[ muhk ]
/ mʌk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR muck ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

muck about/around, Informal. to idle; waste time; loiter.

Origin of muck

1200–50; Middle English muc, muk < Old Norse myki cow dung

Words nearby muck

mucinoid, mucinosis, mucinous carcinoma, muciparous, muciparous gland, muck, muck about, muck bar, muck in, muck up, muck-a-muck

Definition for muck up (2 of 2)

muck-up
[ muhk-uhp ]
/ ˈmʌkˌʌp /

noun Informal.

a bungled or disordered situation; foul-up.

Origin of muck-up

First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase muck up

Words related to muck up

botch, flub, confuse, muddle, spoil, bungle, sully, debase, pollute, tarnish, smear, muddy, taint, smudge, degrade, contaminate, besmirch, tar, harm, mar

British Dictionary definitions for muck up (1 of 2)

muck up

verb (adverb) informal

(tr) British and Australian to ruin or spoil; make a mess of
(intr) Australian to misbehave

British Dictionary definitions for muck up (2 of 2)

muck
/ (mʌk) /

noun

verb (tr)

See also muck about, muck in, muck up

Word Origin for muck

C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse myki dung, Norwegian myk

Idioms and Phrases with muck up

muck up

Bungle, damage, make a mess of, as in Don't let him write the review; he's sure to muck it up. This idiom alludes to the verb muck in the sense of “spread manure on.” [Early 1900s] For a synonym, see foul up.