bungle

verb

bun·​gle ˈbəŋ-gəl How to pronounce bungle (audio)
bungled; bungling ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce bungle (audio)

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 noun

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 However, during a talk at Dartmouth this past June, OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati bungled the company line. Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 2 Sep. 2024 The effects of the outage were a reminder of how the global economy is dependent on computer systems that are vulnerable to everything from attacks by sophisticated hackers to bungled software updates. Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 19 July 2024 Baldwin’s attorneys have repeatedly accused law enforcement officers and prosecutors of bungling the case, including by allegedly hiding evidence that could possibly solve the central mystery surrounding the Oct. 21, 2021, shooting. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024 That included bungling closing arguments by using an artificial intelligence program. Michael Kunzelman and Lindsay Whitehurst, USA TODAY, 26 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for bungle 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bungle was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near bungle

Cite this Entry

“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bungle. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

bungle

verb
bun·​gle ˈbəŋ-gəl How to pronounce bungle (audio)
bungled; bungling -g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce bungle (audio)
: to act, do, make, or work badly
bungle a job
bungle noun
bungler noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bungle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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