blundered; blundering
ˈblən-d(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to move unsteadily or confusedly
In their exhaustion they often blundered against each other …—
Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer2
: to make a mistake through stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
blundered by not acting sooner
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
Rafael Sabatini
: a gross error or mistake resulting usually from stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
a costly tactical blunder
Synonyms
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 WebAnshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
Finishing 45th overall, Mr. Trump trails even the mid-19th-century failures who blundered the country into a civil war or botched its aftermath like James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce and Andrew Johnson.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
As usual, Aniston and Sandler are immensely likable, blundering amiably through a choice selection of mystery clichés.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2024
The presidents of the schools blundered in their responses, giving responses that were widely regarded as more focused on legal terms than human decency.
—Samuel Schaffer, Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2024
After 9/11, the United States blundered into two wars that each lasted longer than a decade, destabilized an entire region, and permanently tarnished its reputation.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023
Governments, bureaucracies and military institutions that have blundered their way through many a Godzilla adventure are barely seen here.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Iran and its nonstate allies, while reluctant to launch an all-out battle with Israel, may be preparing for or blunder into one.
—Joost R. Hiltermann, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023
It cannot be blundered through because of public pressure or a desire for revenge.
—Ami Ayalon, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2023
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In the season one finale of the comedy, which aired on Aug. 12, 2022, Molly declared plans to give away every penny of her $120 billion divorce settlement from tech tycoon John Novak (Adam Scott) after a publicly embarrassing business blunder.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
Ahead, the biggest beauty pageant scandals and blunders to emerge from the pageant world over the years.
—Laura Lane, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
With Biden out on the road, the Trump campaign has sought to highlight blunders he's made as Trump and his allies throw accusations around about Biden's mental acuity -- claims Biden and his team have dismissed.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 25 Mar. 2024
Read more: The biggest AI chatbot blunders (so far)
Microsoft launched its own chatbot, Copilot, in February 2023.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Comparative Analysis With Boeing Operational blunders, strategic overreach, and the necessity to revitalize culture are commonalities in the problems that Boeing is currently facing and that GE has faced in the past.
—Jim Osman, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
And Annie, a friendly presence but hapless sleuth, commits one of the genre’s chief blunders: confronting a potential murderer by herself.
—Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
The steady drip of doubts, amplified by Kensington Palace’s blunders, is now threatening to erode the goodwill that the royals have enjoyed.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024
Verb
Previous Israeli prime ministers, too, blundered into bloody wars on the basis of misguided strategies and faulty advice from their military and intelligence advisers.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
Finishing 45th overall, Mr. Trump trails even the mid-19th-century failures who blundered the country into a civil war or botched its aftermath like James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce and Andrew Johnson.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
As usual, Aniston and Sandler are immensely likable, blundering amiably through a choice selection of mystery clichés.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2024
The presidents of the schools blundered in their responses, giving responses that were widely regarded as more focused on legal terms than human decency.
—Samuel Schaffer, Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2024
After 9/11, the United States blundered into two wars that each lasted longer than a decade, destabilized an entire region, and permanently tarnished its reputation.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023
Governments, bureaucracies and military institutions that have blundered their way through many a Godzilla adventure are barely seen here.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Iran and its nonstate allies, while reluctant to launch an all-out battle with Israel, may be preparing for or blunder into one.
—Joost R. Hiltermann, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023
It cannot be blundered through because of public pressure or a desire for revenge.
—Ami Ayalon, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2023
Noun
In what was seen as the crucial blunder of the trial, the prosecution asked Mr. Simpson, who was not called to testify, to try on the gloves.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In the season one finale of the comedy, which aired on Aug. 12, 2022, Molly declared plans to give away every penny of her $120 billion divorce settlement from tech tycoon John Novak (Adam Scott) after a publicly embarrassing business blunder.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
Ahead, the biggest beauty pageant scandals and blunders to emerge from the pageant world over the years.
—Laura Lane, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
With Biden out on the road, the Trump campaign has sought to highlight blunders he's made as Trump and his allies throw accusations around about Biden's mental acuity -- claims Biden and his team have dismissed.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 25 Mar. 2024
Read more: The biggest AI chatbot blunders (so far)
Microsoft launched its own chatbot, Copilot, in February 2023.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Comparative Analysis With Boeing Operational blunders, strategic overreach, and the necessity to revitalize culture are commonalities in the problems that Boeing is currently facing and that GE has faced in the past.
—Jim Osman, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
And Annie, a friendly presence but hapless sleuth, commits one of the genre’s chief blunders: confronting a potential murderer by herself.
—Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
The steady drip of doubts, amplified by Kensington Palace’s blunders, is now threatening to erode the goodwill that the royals have enjoyed.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024
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 18 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on blunder
Nglish: Translation of blunder for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of blunder for Arabic Speakers
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