as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
you've mangled this so badly that we'll have to do it over
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mangle
But that’s about it — for whatever reason, most novelists who achieve success tend to stay in their lane, selling the screen rights to their material off to others to adapt and, often, mangle.
—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Trees along the property were mangled.
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Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Fuqua’s film understands how precious childhood is, and the way that harsh treatment and rigid social expectations can mangle a young person’s outlook on life.
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Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
The 49ers Hall of Fame safety had his pinkie mangled on a tackle during a game in 1985, and played with a splint before having the digit amputated after the season.
—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mangle
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Trees along the property were mangled.
—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Fuqua’s film understands how precious childhood is, and the way that harsh treatment and rigid social expectations can mangle a young person’s outlook on life.
—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
The 49ers Hall of Fame safety had his pinkie mangled on a tackle during a game in 1985, and played with a splint before having the digit amputated after the season.
—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangle
Verb
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But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity.
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With Yerry De los Santos also fumbling a bunt in the eighth, the Yanks tallied a season-high four errors on the night.
Verb
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The Philadelphia Phillies went into the top of the ninth inning down 8-6 to the Washington Nationals after Orion Kerkering gave up a three-run home run to blow the lead late in the game.
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While sitting on your porch or deck, a blast of air from a fan can help blow weak-flying mosquitoes away.
Verb
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Lovingly dubbed Scarlet, the conservatory's specimen only blooms once every three to five years, and for just two days.
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Excavations at Rising Star have sparked debate about whether these little hominins had all ended up in the caves by tragic accident, or whether they’d been carefully placed there by other members of their enigmatic species, dubbed Homo naledi.
Verb
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Porsha deflects, saying Drew ruined the mood.
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Explosions had all but ruined my hearing.
Verb
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But the software botched or skipped hundreds of names, the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
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Chisholm's followed with a liner off the base of the wall in right before scoring when second baseman Travis Bazzana botched a grounder.
Verb
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The plague victims likely hunted, skinned and butchered marmots for their meat and fur, which would have exposed members of the community to the bacteria, Macleod said.
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Normally, that involves making stone tools, butchering deer, or distilling birch tar.
Verb
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For now, the press still sometimes bungled his name as Harry.
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San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who polled at 5% in the CBS survey, accused Becerra of bungling the federal government’s response to COVID-19, mpox and the influx in child migrants under former President Joe Biden.
Verb
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National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, the brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, said on Sunday that more than 12,000 people have been displaced by the earthquakes and 774 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including hospitals.
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There's nothing more quintessential to being a kid than playing Little League baseball, but on July Fourth, 2025, along with so much more, the Little League fields of Hill Country were destroyed, along with the innocence of thousands of kids who live here.
Cite this Entry
“Mangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangle. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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