botch

1 of 5

verb

ˈbäch 

botched; botching; botches

transitive verb

1

: to foul up hopelessly

—often used with up

2

: to put together in a makeshift way

botcher noun

botch

2 of 5

noun (1)

1

: something that is botched : mess

2

: patchwork, hodgepodge

botchy

ˈbä-chē 

adjective

botch

3 of 5

noun (2)

: an inflammatory sore

botchy

4 of 5

adjective (1)

usually -er/-est

obsolete

: having the character of a boil, ulcer, or similar sore spot

botchy

5 of 5

adjective (2)

ˈbä-chē 

usually -er/-est

: full of defects : poorly done

a botchy piece of work

Synonyms of botch

Verb

• fumble
• blow
• bungle
• ruin

Noun (1)

• jumble
• variety
• assortment
• medley
• collage
• scramble

Examples of botch in a Sentence

Verb

The store botched the order—I received only half the books I paid for.

They clearly botched the investigation.

Noun (1)

this police procedural is basically a botch of plot elements stolen from other (and better) novels

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Chisholm's followed with a liner off the base of the wall in right before scoring when second baseman Travis Bazzana botched a grounder. —Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 10 June 2026

Chisolm followed with a liner off the base of the wall in right before scoring when second baseman Travis Bazzana botched a grounder. —ABC News, 10 June 2026

Noun

Of course this was a calculated power play, not a bureaucratic botch. —U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026

During last week's WWE SmackDown, a series of mistakes and botches drew harsh criticism from fans. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bocchen

Noun (2) and Adjective (2)

Middle English boche, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *bottia boss

Adjective (1)

Middle English bochy, from boche botch + -y

First Known Use

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing botch

• botch-up
• make a botch of

Rhymes for botch

• boche
• brough
• crotch
• gotch
• notch
• rotch
• scotch
• swatch
• watch
• butterscotch
• hopscotch
• stopwatch

Kids Definition

botch

1 of 2 verb

ˈbäch 

: to make or do something in a clumsy or unskillful way : spoil, bungle

botch

2 of 2 noun

: a botched job : mess

botchy

-ē

adjective

Medical Definition

botch

noun

ˈbäch 

: an inflammatory sore