flub

IPA/flʌb/
IPA/flʌb/

flub — verb

  • flubpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • flubs3rd person singular
  • flubbing-ing form
  • flubbedpast simple

1. to make a careless error while doing something, especially in front of other peo

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to make a careless error while doing something, especially in front of other people who are watching you perform

例句

Diego flubbed his lines during the school play, and the audience giggled at the pause.

collocation: flub + one's lines (stage performance)

Lakshmi flubbed the introduction when she could not recall the new manager's name.

同義詞
  • botch

    stronger and more negative — suggests not just error but ruining the result

  • mess up

    more common and broader in use; less tied to performance settings

  • slip up

    less dramatic; focuses on a small, momentary error

反義詞
  • nail

    informal opposite meaning 'do perfectly in a high-pressure moment'

  • ace

    informal; to do something with total success, especially a test or performance

文法句型

flub + noun phrase (transitive)

flub (no object, intransitive)

用法筆記

Often used in performance contexts — acting, music, public speaking. The subject is typically a person, and the thing flubbed is usually something the person is performing (lines, a speech, a song, a cue).

常見錯誤

❌The pilot flubbed the landing and the plane crashed.
✅The trainee pilot flubbed the landing and the instructor took over.
💡flub suits minor or embarrassing mistakes, not catastrophic ones.
❌I flubbed the history exam completely.
✅I flubbed my lines during the rehearsal.
💡flub is most natural in performance/speech contexts, not written academic work.

flub — noun