botch

1 of 3

verb

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 3

noun (1)

1
: something that is botched : mess
2
botchy adjective

botch

3 of 3

noun (2)

: an inflammatory sore

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Mahdi’s legal team filed a complaint with the South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday saying that the execution was botched. Viola Flowers, NBC news, 9 May 2025 Critics say Guarino botched data analysis in the O'Keefe case as well. N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 7 May 2025
Noun
Those communication botches, whether on the break or in the half court, often include Towns, who once again vanished as a scorer. Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 May 2025 Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence. Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for botch

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bocchen

Noun (2)

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

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

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Botch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/botch. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

botch

1 of 2 verb
: to make or do something in a clumsy or unskillful way : spoil, bungle

botch

2 of 2 noun
: a botched job : mess
botchy
adjective

Medical Definition

botch

noun
: an inflammatory sore

More from Merriam-Webster on botch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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