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
Atlanta was out-everythinged in an 83-71 loss to the Indiana Fever on Thursday, botching a chance at a statement game.
—
Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 5 June 2026
He was taken into custody at the scene, after botching several sobriety tests, body-cam footage shows.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026
In the probable cause affidavit filed at the time, prosecutors accused the mother of three of spiking her husband's drink with a lethal dose of the drug less than three weeks after botching her initial attempt to kill him on Valentine's Day.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
On Monday night in Cleveland, a grown man in the Progressive Field bleachers created a ruckus by botching a home run catch and then stealing the ball from the young girl who was trying to pick it up on the rebound.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Lawmakers of both parties accused Bondi of botching the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Congress directed in December.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
In a federal lawsuit filed this month seeking millions in damages, Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, accused Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi of intentionally botching the translation of the lyrics, central to both the Disney films and the musical theater adaptations.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … RINSE AND REPEAT — CNN slammed for third time for botching NYC terrorist attack coverage.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Or rather, none of it happens without the Rockies botching the Arenado thing so badly that CEO Dick Monfort and the family felt obligated to take this massive swing to try and replace him.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 5 June 2026
He was taken into custody at the scene, after botching several sobriety tests, body-cam footage shows.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026
In the probable cause affidavit filed at the time, prosecutors accused the mother of three of spiking her husband's drink with a lethal dose of the drug less than three weeks after botching her initial attempt to kill him on Valentine's Day.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
On Monday night in Cleveland, a grown man in the Progressive Field bleachers created a ruckus by botching a home run catch and then stealing the ball from the young girl who was trying to pick it up on the rebound.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Lawmakers of both parties accused Bondi of botching the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Congress directed in December.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
In a federal lawsuit filed this month seeking millions in damages, Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, accused Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi of intentionally botching the translation of the lyrics, central to both the Disney films and the musical theater adaptations.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … RINSE AND REPEAT — CNN slammed for third time for botching NYC terrorist attack coverage.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Or rather, none of it happens without the Rockies botching the Arenado thing so badly that CEO Dick Monfort and the family felt obligated to take this massive swing to try and replace him.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botching
Verb
-
But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
Like, for example, calling a risky trick play in South Bend that resulted in wide receiver Makai Lemon fumbling on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37-yard line down three points in the fourth quarter.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Whenever your outfit feels a little plain, these goodies will inject some welcome personality—all without blowing a hole in your budget.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
8 June 2026
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Another dramatic scene from West Virginia showed wind blowing a tent across a lawn, and dragging several people along with it, during a college basketball game between West Virginia University and Cal Poly.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Two runners scored, ruining Tech ace Nijaree Canady’s shutout.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining baseball.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Botching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botching. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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