as in fumbling
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
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Recent Examples of botching
But Team Blue ultimately squanders their lead, completely botching the puzzle as the other two tribes smoke theirs.
—
Nick Caruso, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025
Third-round running back Kaleb Johnson has had the worst rookie moment of the season so far, botching a Week 2 kickoff return that became a Seattle touchdown.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Even as his team keeps messing up, botching substitutions and committing untimely errors, Mike McDaniel generally keeps his calm.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
The look was a polarizing one, to which Alcaraz blamed one of his brothers for botching the assignment.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
So, instead of botching basic clock management over and over again as Jerod Mayo did last year, when the Pats finished 3-6 in one-score games, expect those situations and records to flip.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Nick Caruso, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025
Third-round running back Kaleb Johnson has had the worst rookie moment of the season so far, botching a Week 2 kickoff return that became a Seattle touchdown.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Even as his team keeps messing up, botching substitutions and committing untimely errors, Mike McDaniel generally keeps his calm.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
The look was a polarizing one, to which Alcaraz blamed one of his brothers for botching the assignment.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
So, instead of botching basic clock management over and over again as Jerod Mayo did last year, when the Pats finished 3-6 in one-score games, expect those situations and records to flip.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botching
Verb
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But the Patriots gave it right back as Rhamondre Stevenson, who has had trouble fumbling early this season, was stripped after catching a pass from Maye.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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Although the scoring position turnover trend continued, with CJ Stokes and Javen Nicholas fumbling in plus-territory on consecutive drives in the third quarter, the offense was much improved with Wilcke in the game.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Equating your value to your bank account, or blowing cash to feel validated.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
5 Oct. 2025
-
He and his apprentices host glass- blowing classes on Fridays and Saturdays (reservation required), when guests can make anything from a bowl to a tumbler to an ornament.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Or pursue the rancid criminal element across the galaxy as a bounty hunter, making your fortune by ruining bad guys' lives.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
7 Oct. 2025
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So much so that the official Carol Burnett Show YouTube channel has several 15-minute salutes of Burnett, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and others busting up and ruining the bit.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Botching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botching. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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