as in jumbles
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things
this police procedural is basically a botch of plot elements stolen from other (and better) novels
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in fumbles
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
the first time we tried to make a cake, we botched the job completely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of botches
Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
Continue reading … FACT CHECK – Washington Post botches Israel-Gaza history leading to major correction.
—FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
During last week's WWE SmackDown, a series of mistakes and botches drew harsh criticism from fans.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
But there’s nothing shocking or subversive about this movie, which plays like proficient, forgettable straight-to-streaming fare for the first ninety minutes and then botches its big, bloody finale.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
Continue reading … FACT CHECK – Washington Post botches Israel-Gaza history leading to major correction.
—FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botches
Noun
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Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
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Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tensions between the galley and the interior continue to escalate over lunch service, when a radio mishap fumbles the order in which the food should go out.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
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The movie fumbles the chance to do something arresting with this seminal period in art.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Tree peonies, fern peonies, and woodland peonies bloom first; hybrid varieties, like true reds and corals, bloom mid-season; and other peonies bloom in the latter half of spring.—
Blythe Copeland,
Martha Stewart,
4 June 2026
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Endless varieties of insect larvae also make astonishingly effective baits, but few fishermen — except ice-fishermen who buy mealworms and waxworms in bait shops — even use them.—
Byron W. Dalrymple,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2026
Verb
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What makes season 6 a top-tier installment is witnessing two power alliances (the Friendship and the Sovereign 6) going head-to-head and trading blows back-and-forth every single week.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
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The fuel-saving engine start-stop system is also transparent, and the air conditioning blows ice cold, even when the gasoline engine is off.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Noun
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According to Brousseau, retailers are increasingly looking to pair contemporary fine jewelry with vintage and estate offerings in order to create more differentiated assortments.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
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The company curates snack and pantry assortments for properties including the Fifth Avenue Hotel and the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, as well as corporate clients like OpenAI's New York office.—
Esha Chhabra,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Gentleman thief Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven) circles the prize while Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) bungles the pursuit with sublime obliviousness.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For the elder millennials, the bittersweet spot was the medleys of older Kanye cuts released from 2004 to 2016 (think The College Dropout to The Life of Pablo).—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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This 27-track collection features updated mixes of iconic live performances alongside new remixes and medleys of classic Elvis recordings.—
Bob Mehr,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Since the early 1960s, her drawings, watercolors, acrylics, and collages have run like scenic byways along the whooshing turnpike of contemporary art.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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The exhibition’s denim collages — cacti, mountains, fences, car keys — frame AI as the latest version of an old American sales pitch.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Botches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botches. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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