louse up

L l

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [noun lous uhp]
- /noun laʊs ʌp/
- /laʊs ʌp/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [noun lous uhp]
- /noun laʊs ʌp/

Definitions of louse up words

noun plural louse up any small, wingless insect of the order Anoplura (sucking louse) parasitic on humans and other mammals and having mouthparts adapted for sucking, as Pediculus humanus (body louse or head louse) and Phthirius pubis (crab louse or pubic louse) 1
noun plural louse up any insect of the order Mallophaga (bird louse, biting louse, or chewing louse) parasitic on birds and mammals, having mouthparts adapted for biting. 1
noun plural louse up plant louse. 1
noun plural louse up Slang. a contemptible person, especially an unethical one. 1
verb with object louse up to delouse. 1
noun louse up to botch; spoil; ruin 0

See all 7 definitions of louse up

Information block about the term

Origin of louse up

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; 1910-15 for def 4; Middle English lous(e), luse, plural lise, lice; Old English lūs, plural lȳs; cognate with Dutch luis, German Laus, Old Norse lūs

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Louse up

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Louse up

louse up popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

louse up usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for louse up

verb louse up

ball up — to muddle or bungle
blow — When a wind or breeze blows, the air moves.
blunder — A blunder is a stupid or careless mistake.
boggle — If you say that the mind boggles at something or that something boggles the mind, you mean that it is so strange or amazing that it is difficult to imagine or understand.
boot — Boots are shoes that cover your whole foot and the lower part of your leg.

All 41 Synonyms of louse up