botches 1 of 2

noun

plural of botch
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

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botches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of botch
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

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 botches
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
In clinical environments bound by federal regulations and ethics guidelines, an LLM that hallucinates an endpoint or botches eligibility criteria does not just cause a minor hiccup. — Anshima Raj, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Then the candidate, unfamiliar with some far-away region of the world, botches it. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 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
  1. jumbles
  2. fumbles
  3. varieties
  4. blows
  5. assortments
  6. bungles
  7. medleys
  8. collages
Noun
  • 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
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumbles
Verb
  • DeLand was driving inside the 20 yard line and Taihj Moore fumbles, recovered by Lake Mary.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Buford scored 17 points off three Gainesville fumbles on punt plays.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumbles
Noun
  • Picking up her weekly shopping, pensioner Ute Istock quips that the choice of apple varieties is as broad as that of candidates on the ballot sheets in last month's city election — adding that this is not necessarily a good thing.
    — Esme Nicholson, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The place back in 2013 received high praise in Saveur magazine for its pies, 20 different varieties.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of varieties
Verb
  • Policymakers' ignorance of oil market mechanics becomes clear only when geopolitics enters the picture and blows it all to hell, either figuratively or literally.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The exhaust port blows to the rear to allow for quick cleaning of leaves and grass clippings.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of blows
Noun
  • The vintage furniture—frames and mirrors and desks dating anywhere from the 16th to 19th centuries—sings in artful assortments.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Customers increasingly found their once-beloved store stocked with sporadic, often sparse assortments in their favorite categories.
    — Rachel Felder, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of assortments
Verb
  • Joe Burrow bungles Bengals’ passing game My theory of the case with Caleb Williams is that there was untapped running value here.
    — Michael Salfino, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of bungles
Noun
  • Lowlights included uninspiring medleys.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of medleys
Noun
  • During my visit, the museum showed an exhibit about how Yves Saint Laurent engaged with Matisse’s work, displaying Saint Laurent’s clothing alongside the paintings and collages that inspired them.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Wiener not only leaves behind a richly complex body of work straddling textiles, painting, photographs, and collages, but also a career intricately connected to one of the most important chapters of Austrian art.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of collages

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Cite this Entry

“Botches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botches. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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