blunder

1 of 2

verb

blun·​der ˈblən-dər 

blundered; blundering ˈblən-d(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to move unsteadily or confusedly

In their exhaustion they often blundered against each other …

—Norman Mailer

2

: to make a mistake through stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness

blundered by not acting sooner

transitive verb

1

: to utter stupidly, confusedly, or thoughtlessly

blundered an apology

2

: to make a stupid, careless, or thoughtless mistake in

… blundering matters through ignorance …

—Rafael Sabatini

blunderer

ˈblən-dər-ər 

noun

blunder

2 of 2

noun

: a gross error or mistake resulting usually from stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness

a costly tactical blunder

Synonyms

Verb

• boob [British]
• err
• flub
• fluff
• foul up
• fumble
• goof (up)
• louse up
• mess (up)
• screw up
• slip up
• stumble
• trip

Noun

• bobble
• boo-boo
• boob [British]
• brick
• clanger [British]
• clinker
• error
• fault
• flub
• fluff
• fumble
• gaff
• gaffe
• goof
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• miscue
• misstep
• mistake
• oversight
• screwup
• slip
• slipup
• stumble
• trip

Choose the Right Synonym for blunder

error, mistake, blunder, slip, lapse mean a departure from what is true, right, or proper.

error suggests the existence of a standard or guide and a straying from the right course through failure to make effective use of this.

procedural errors

mistake implies misconception or inadvertence and usually expresses less criticism than error.

dialed the wrong number by mistake

blunder regularly imputes stupidity or ignorance as a cause and connotes some degree of blame.

diplomatic blunders

slip stresses inadvertence or accident and applies especially to trivial but embarrassing mistakes.

a slip of the tongue

lapse stresses forgetfulness, weakness, or inattention as a cause.

a lapse in judgment

Examples of blunder in a Sentence

Verb

We blundered along through the woods until we finally found the trail.

Another skier blundered into his path.

The government blundered by not acting sooner.

Noun

The accident was the result of a series of blunders.

fixed a minor blunder in the advertising flyer

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

By 2013, with U.S. troops gone from Iraq, the Middle East blunder that most preoccupied many European countries was Obama’s decision not to intervene in Syria after Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people. —Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023

State of play: Four weeks ago Thursday, the sitting president blundered through a debate. —Neil Irwin, Axios, 24 July 2024

Noun

Indeed, the world's largest recruitment firm once posted a graphic on its Career Guide—an epic blunder in career development and corporate culture. —Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

So far, Botha’s run has coincided not just with VC turmoil but with blunders specific to Sequoia (more on that shortly). —Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 25 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blundren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse blunda to shut one's eyes, doze, Norwegian dialect blundra

Noun

noun derivative of blunder entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1681, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

blunder

1 of 2 verb

blun·​der ˈblən-dər 

blundered; blundering -d(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to move unsteadily or blindly

2

: to make a mistake (as through stupidity or carelessness)

3

: to say stupidly or thoughtlessly : blurt

blunderer

-dər-ər 

noun

blunder

2 of 2 noun

: a bad or stupid mistake