bungle

verb

bun·​gle ˈbəŋ-gəl 

bungled; bungling ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to act or work clumsily and awkwardly

bungled badly in the campaign

transitive verb

: mishandle, botch

bungle a job

bungled the investigation

bungle noun

bungler

ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms of bungle

• fumble
• blow
• botch
• ruin
• dub

Examples of bungle in a Sentence

The government bungled badly in planning the campaign.

bungled the job the first time she tried to do it

Recent Examples on the Web

That lawsuit alleges that the city bungled the rollout by including many who live full-time in their homes on a list of 900,000 people who could be subject to the tax, as well as sending letters to 17,000 others. — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

The combustion of Graham Platner’s candidacy in Maine is another blow to a Democratic Party trying to mend its reputation after bungling the 2024 presidential election. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 9 July 2026

Kylian Mbappe, Romelu Lukaku and Darwin Nunez are some names at the World Cup who have previously bungled a knee slide celebration by diving into the ground, rather than trying to sling themselves along it. — Carl Anka, New York Times, 1 June 2026

For now, the press still sometimes bungled his name as Harry. — Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Icelandic banga to hammer

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for bungle

• antifungal
• fungal
• jungle

Kids Definition

bungle

verb

bun·​gle ˈbəŋ-gəl 

bungled; bungling -g(ə-)liŋ 

: to act, do, make, or work badly

bungle a job

bungle noun

bungler

-g(ə-)ler 

noun