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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Gaines got some redemption with his TD after fumbling on a third-and-goal run in the first quarter.—
Jim Keyser,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Oct. 2025
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However, his key mistakes included an interception, being sacked six times, and fumbling the ball away twice.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The club simply dominated for nearly the first five months of the season, only to suffer the largest single collapse in major league history, blowing a 15 1/2-game lead on July 8 to lose the AL Central Division pennant to the Cleveland Guardians.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Giants, meanwhile, are coming off a painful defeat to the Denver Broncos, after blowing a 19-0 lead and losing 33-32 on a last-second Denver field goal after missing two PATs of their own, including one with 37 seconds left.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Chiefs have seen some of league’s premier running backs — such as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs — and have met each challenge, preventing those elite players from ruining the defensive game plan.—
Emily Curiel,
Kansas City Star,
26 Oct. 2025
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Clark reiterated his belief that the Dodgers are not ruining baseball.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Botching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botching. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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