blundered

verb

past tense of blunder
1
as in fumbled
to make a mistake even though the prosecution had blundered several times in presenting its case, it ultimately prevailed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually blundered his way through an acceptance speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of blundered Rubio is the president’s top adviser on both national security and diplomacy at a moment when the United States has blundered into an unpopular war that appears to be a strategic catastrophe. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026 Padres fielders blundered in three of his outings. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 People see this president as having blundered into a war with no clear rationale. — NBC news, 5 Apr. 2026 Back in the team after injury, Neuer made strong saves in the first half but blundered for Freiburg's second, leaping out of his goal to palm a corner straight to Freiburg striker Lucas Höler for an easy second. — ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026 The growing political noise raises questions about whether Netflix, which has had one of the cleanest business strategies and investment stories in media, blundered into its first big M&A swing. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blundered
  1. fumbled
  2. stumbled
  3. tripped
  4. struggled
  5. erred
Verb
  • The Giants scored the game’s first run in the top of the third when Mariners center fielder Luke Raley fumbled the ball on Bryce Eldridge’s single with runners on first and second.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
  • Basabe, 48, fumbled his way through the trial, often seeming confused about the legal proceedings.
    — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Definition of fumbled
Verb
  • Lundgren got out from the driver’s side of the vehicle, stumbled across the opposing lane of traffic, and leaped over the side of the bridge into Table Rock Lake below, the sheriff said.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 22 July 2026
  • Evans stumbled into it and is still visibly working out what to do with it.
    — Ian Shepherd, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • Bueckers was set in a defensive stance at the top of the key when Ogwumike raced down the court, dished off a pass and tripped, crashing into Bueckers.
    — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2026
  • My diabetic husband then tripped over our suitcases and was injured.
    — Josh Rivera, USA Today, 19 July 2026
Definition of tripped
Verb
  • The 17 passengers and crew who lived told investigators everyone survived the landing, but many passengers struggled to locate life vests and the crew had a difficult time pulling out life rafts.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
  • Brayden Burries, Bucks While most of the vaunted crop of rookie guards from the NCAA ranks struggled, Burries was a glaring exception.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of struggled
Verb
  • Her lawyers argue that the judge wrongly assessed the effect of the posts, underestimated the seriousness of the meanings conveyed and erred in accepting Wilson’s substantial-truth defense.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 July 2026
  • Zach Boyd, who heads Utah's AI office, has said Doctronic has, if anything, erred toward over-caution, routinely kicking uncontroversial decisions up to a physician.
    — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of erred

Browse Nearby Words

blunderbusses
blundered
blunderer
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Cite this Entry

“Blundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blundered. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on blundered

Nglish: Translation of blundered for Spanish Speakers

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