bungled; bungling
ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 
: to act or work clumsily and awkwardly
bungled badly in the campaign
bungle
noun
Synonyms
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 included bungling closing arguments by using an artificial intelligence program.
—
Michael Kunzelman and Lindsay Whitehurst, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Recently, bungled photos of the princess only fueled the conjectures.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
What kind of man bungles not one, but dozens of opportunities to avoid criminal liability?
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024
Commentary and opinions Editorial: Florida shows how to bungle a measles outbreak.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
The military’s response to Mr. Khan’s resurgent public support was bungled at best — and severely miscalculated at worst, analysts say.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Administration officials faulted the head of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, who had recently been confirmed, for bungling the response.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
Many successful comedians, from Damon Wayans to Jenny Slate, famously bungled their stints at 30 Rock and got fired in their debut seasons, before launching careers outside the Lorne Michaelsverse.
—TIME, 23 Feb. 2024
If bungled, the flourish could undercut Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s alt-rock masterpiece, which claimed the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Michael Kunzelman and Lindsay Whitehurst, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Recently, bungled photos of the princess only fueled the conjectures.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
What kind of man bungles not one, but dozens of opportunities to avoid criminal liability?
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024
Commentary and opinions Editorial: Florida shows how to bungle a measles outbreak.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
The military’s response to Mr. Khan’s resurgent public support was bungled at best — and severely miscalculated at worst, analysts say.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Administration officials faulted the head of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, who had recently been confirmed, for bungling the response.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
Many successful comedians, from Damon Wayans to Jenny Slate, famously bungled their stints at 30 Rock and got fired in their debut seasons, before launching careers outside the Lorne Michaelsverse.
—TIME, 23 Feb. 2024
If bungled, the flourish could undercut Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s alt-rock masterpiece, which claimed the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bungle.' 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
perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Icelandic banga to hammer
First Known Use
1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near bungle
Cite this Entry
“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bungle. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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