bungled

verb

Definition of bunglednext
past tense of bungle
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way bungled the job the first time she tried to do it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bungled On September 30th, the state of Tennessee bungled its attempt to kill Christa Pike, who survived two injections of pentobarbital. — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026 Though usually a very smooth operator, Latif has bungled the latest job for his handler Mike (Laith Nakli). — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026 Citing a Pulitzer-winning New York Times investigation, the Republican argued Becerra bungled the handling of the influx of child migrants that lead thousands to be trafficked into dangerous jobs. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Sandusky has tried almost nonstop since his sentencing to have his June 22, 2012, conviction overturned, arguing first that his lawyers bungled the case. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 On Monday, a judge on Staten Island temporarily blocked the city from implementing the tax due to a lawsuit brought by a group of homeowners who allege the city bungled the rollout of the tax. — Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 For now, the press still sometimes bungled his name as Harry. — Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026 Apollo’s acquisition came after Verizon Communications bought Yahoo’s online operations in 2017 and then bungled an attempt to blend those services into AOL, another internet pioneer. — Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026 Apollo's acquisition came after Verizon Communications bought Yahoo's online operations in 2017 and then bungled an attempt to blend those services into AOL, another internet pioneer. — ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungled
  1. fumbled
  2. botched
  3. blew
Verb
  • Thomas and Woods fumbled in the first half in Spartan territory — their first of the season on 118 combined carries thus far.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • During Sunday night’s game against the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle, Mahomes fumbled after a big hit, and roughly 22 players had a chance to recover the ball.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of fumbled
Verb
  • Continue reading … NOT ENOUGH — Kash Patel demands apology from MS NOW following botched Russia report.
    — , FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Alou reacted demonstrably, and the Marlins went on to score eight runs in the inning, sending 12 batters to the plate, as Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez botched a routine double-play ball.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of botched
Verb
  • The stocks are already down over 30% each in October as credit investors blew their yields out to distressed levels, doubting their business model of using aggressive levels of debt to build data centers.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • After losing consecutive non-road games by three points both times, on Saturday night UT blew a 24-3 halftime lead to turn it a fourth-quarter tie.
    — Mac Engel October 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of blew

Browse Nearby Words

bungle
bungled
bungler
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bungled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungled. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All