Definitions

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an unintentional but embarrassing blunder

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The market gained on the day, but suffered a notable trip-up after the Federal Reserve published its members' yearly rate forecasts for the first time ever.

    Fed, Strong Auction Lift Treasurys Cynthia Lin 2012

  • You are so busy trying to trip-up Barack Obama, the man who actually got you the job that you have (.... we'll get a black man to criticize him because then it won't seem as if we're racist), you can't lead, You haven't a clue.

    First on the Ticker: Steele's letter to RNC members 2010

  • They all scrambled to their feet; Darian dismissed the spell and readied a trip-up, a variation on the first bit of magic he'd ever used in combat, to make people's feet stick to the ground just long enough to trip them.

    Elephant in the City 2010

  • Yes, we know these things take time, but the latest trip-up came Thursday night in a 112-107 loss to the Celtics in Miami as Dwyane Wade couldn't buy a trey and made only two of 12 shots.

    The Heat can't generate any against Celtics ... again Cindy Boren 2010

  • (And in that example, you might not even know whether there was a tech trip-up that caused the email in question to not be delivered, or whether it was caught by a diligent spam filter on alert for unrecognizable origins.)

    A Bland and Deadly Courtesy skzbrust 2008

  • This may seem painfully obvious, but I have seen folks trip-up on their way to being promoted to leadership roles by focusing more on their future than on their present.

    Tom Fox: The Federal Coach: Take Your Shot at Leadership 2010

  • This may seem painfully obvious, but I have seen folks trip-up on their way to being promoted to leadership roles by focusing more on their future than on their present.

    Tom Fox: The Federal Coach: Take Your Shot at Leadership Tom Fox 2010

  • This may seem painfully obvious, but I have seen folks trip-up on their way to being promoted to leadership roles by focusing more on their future than on their present.

    The Federal Coach: Take Your Shot at Leadership Tom Fox 2010

  • (And in that example, you might not even know whether there was a tech trip-up that caused the email in question to not be delivered, or whether it was caught by a diligent spam filter on alert for unrecognizable origins.)

    A Bland and Deadly Courtesy skzbrust 2008

  • Seemingly un-perplexed and unperturbed, what followed this metaphoric "foot-in-the-aisle" trip-up was Obama's groundbreaking inaugural address.

    Michael DeJong: I Do Solemnly Swear... 2009

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