as in to fumble
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in jumble
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of botch
Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Activist investor Sardar Biglari started his eighth proxy fight against Cracker Barrel, seizing on the chain’s earnings miss, stock slide, and botched $700 million rebrand to argue that CEO Julie Masino and the board have destroyed shareholder value.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Lastly, there was the botch job of trading away Jake Guentzel at the deadline last season.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for botch
Verb
Barney excelled at the technique, leaving Lily no choice but to flash him as a distraction to botch the final move.
—Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Activist investor Sardar Biglari started his eighth proxy fight against Cracker Barrel, seizing on the chain’s earnings miss, stock slide, and botched $700 million rebrand to argue that CEO Julie Masino and the board have destroyed shareholder value.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%.
‘An embrace of brutality’
Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Lastly, there was the botch job of trading away Jake Guentzel at the deadline last season.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for botch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botch
Verb
-
After successfully bluffing his way into the house, Tom fumbles an attempt to hide his reasons for being there, leading Robbie to take him hostage.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Tagovailoa has thrown 22 interceptions and fumbled 13 times in those 21 games — only three of the 13 were recovered by the other team —-- and the Dolphins are 8-13 during that stretch.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
The Commanders blew a late-fourth-quarter lead and turned the ball over three times before losing to the Bears on a last-second field goal.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Sloppy passes, stagnant offense, blown defensive assignments, poor decisions.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The event can be prompted by a variety of factors, such as a flight-or-fight response, sensory stimulation or curiosity.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Of the varieties of beans available, a half-cup serving typically provides 5 to 10 grams (g) of protein.—
Jennifer Lefton,
Verywell Health,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The misfiring of Smashing Machine comes in the wake of A24 bungling the opening of horror-comedy, Death of a Unicorn, back in the spring, which after a receptive world premiere at SXSW with Wednesday megastar, Jenna Ortega, tanked with a $5.7M opening and final $12.8M domestic.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
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One day, calling kids up to get pizza for a class lunch, the teacher repeatedly and purposely bungled her name.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The flowers look similar to wildflowers or cosmos, and come in a colorful assortment of autumnal shades like deep red, burnt orange, and light orange.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Customers will find an assortment of authentic French pastries, sandwiches, coffee and more.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Drummond's proposals to the court to sharply limit litter's use as fertilizer would amount to a ban on the practice in the river's watershed; this and the cost of removing all litter from the watershed would ruin poultry growers throughout the region, defendants argue.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
-
In the end, the explorers destroyed themselves and their ships and ruined the lives of so many indigenous people after setting up colonies in places like Tierra del Fuego.—
Charlie Markbreiter,
Them.,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To open the big anniversary show, McEntire performed a decade-spanning medley, saluting one Song of the Year winner from each of the past six decades.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
-
More than half are nurses, and the rest are a medley of employees who each occupy a special niche in the hospital.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Botch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botch. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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