bungled; bungling
ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 
: to act or work clumsily and awkwardly
bungled badly in the campaign
bungle
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
The last time the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement resulted in the 2012 debacle with replacement referees, where multiple late-game decisions were bungled due to the inexperience of the substitutes.
—
Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
At that point, the day had been characterized by sloppiness and frustration, with Bears pass catchers failing to secure at least a half-dozen catchable throws from their quarterback and, on three occasions, bungling fourth-down opportunities.
—Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
The Chiefs bungled it in more ways than one, more than that fourth-down call, even if the most glaring is the decision to settle for three.
—Sam McDowell 4, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
But the Trump administration is still bungling the opportunity to make multipolarity work for U.S. interests.
—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2025
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Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
At that point, the day had been characterized by sloppiness and frustration, with Bears pass catchers failing to secure at least a half-dozen catchable throws from their quarterback and, on three occasions, bungling fourth-down opportunities.
—Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
The Chiefs bungled it in more ways than one, more than that fourth-down call, even if the most glaring is the decision to settle for three.
—Sam McDowell 4, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
But the Trump administration is still bungling the opportunity to make multipolarity work for U.S. interests.
—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Cite this Entry
“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bungle. Accessed 26 Dec. 2025.
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