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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
  • Treadwell fumbled and L’Jarius Sneed recovered the ball for what initially was ruled a game-winning recovery.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The Northwestern defense came up with another fourth-down stop to open the third quarter, but the Wildcats gave the ball back when Caleb Komolafe fumbled at the Colorado 34.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of fumbled
Verb
  • Portage stumbled into its flock of Flocks after then-Sheriff Dave Reynolds contracted with the company to put them in the city.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • For all of the anticipation of an explosive new offensive attack sparked by the arrival of new coordinator Mike McDaniel, the Chargers stumbled and fumbled their way through their season debut.
    — Doug Haller, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • An older man to my right tripped and took a face-first dive across the pavement, glasses flying off his face.
    — Timothy Townsend, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Mizzou tripped Kansas 42-31 last season in Columbia, went 4-1 against the Jayhawks uninterrupted from 2007-11 at Arrowhead Stadium and also conquered KU 42-17 in 2006 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of tripped
Verb
  • The man's family has struggled to get any information from the hospital about his status or location, Lincoln-Goldfinch said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Last year, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office struggled with contractor Tyler Technologies to get money from county coffers out to districts.
    — A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggled
Verb
  • The Florida Supreme Court reversed the conviction and sentence in 1991, finding the trial court erred by allowing a prosecutor on the case who had previously defended Reaves in a criminal matter.
    — Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But by laying out why the officials erred by putting one second back on the clock, the MAC crystallized a different outcome that transcended the final score.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of erred

Browse Nearby Words

blunderbusses
blundered
blunderer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blundered. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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