blunder

1 of 2

verb

blun·​der ˈblən-dər How to pronounce blunder (audio)
blundered; blundering ˈblən-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce blunder (audio)

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 noun

blunder

2 of 2

noun

: a gross error or mistake resulting usually from stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
a costly tactical blunder
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
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link between the live ammo on set and Gutierrez-Reed, to drive home the argument that Baldwin should have recognized the armorer's blundering youth and inexperience. CBS News, 21 Sep. 2024 More than four million troops were organized to repel a large land invasion — a blundering force with a huge officer corps that relied on young men serving two years of mandatory conscription service for the bulk of its manpower. Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024
Noun
Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… MEDIA 'WELCOME TO WASHINGTON' – Biden blunders at New York City speech, telling the audience the wrong city. Fox News, 26 Sep. 2024 Then Castle View committed a blunder on the ensuing kickoff, when senior Jeremiah Craft attempted to reverse the field after getting the ball. Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for blunder 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blunder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of blunder was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near blunder

Cite this Entry

“Blunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blunder. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

blunder

1 of 2 verb
blun·​der ˈblən-dər How to pronounce blunder (audio)
blundered; blundering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce blunder (audio)
1
: to move unsteadily or blindly
2
: to make a mistake (as through stupidity or carelessness)
3
: to say stupidly or thoughtlessly : blurt
blunderer noun

blunder

2 of 2 noun
: a bad or stupid mistake

More from Merriam-Webster on blunder

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