as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
bungled the job the first time she tried to do it
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Recent Examples of bungle
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
And Kash Patel's FBI seems to be bungling the investigation at every step.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026
Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Verb
Isak’s actions were disrespectfully militant, but Newcastle damagingly bungled the situation.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
And Kash Patel's FBI seems to be bungling the investigation at every step.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
In addition to Robinhood’s Platinum card, there is Citi’s $695-per-year Strata Elite, whose debut last year was marred by an application-process bungle that saw the bank freeze thousands of accounts—but which has proved popular nonetheless.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungle
Verb
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But there’s a risk the Commission will fumble.—
Parmy Olson,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
There was an emotional honesty that embraced the idea that growth isn’t always linear (see Andie from The Devil Wears Prada, fumbling a relationship with a good guy because her career came first).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Of course this was a calculated power play, not a bureaucratic botch.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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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
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The Mets, who are a close second to LA with a $370 million payroll and over $500 million due in payments this year thanks to the luxury tax, have now lost 11 straight games after blowing a ninth inning lead to the Cubs on Sunday.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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Matt Strahm struck out the side in the eighth inning, but Erceg allowed three walks and blew a save opportunity.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Ordinary humans like Stephen’s selfish boss are depicted as giant walking eggs, while others are proportioned like bobble heads.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
11 Apr. 2026
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The Kings, who had a 5-3 advantage in shots in the first, got the first excellent chance of the game when dangerous goal scorer Adrian Kempe took advantage of a bobble at the LA blue line.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
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Apparently, staff learned to wash their hands, but the roaches returned to ruin another inspector’s visit.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Major step forward in the aero-performance category The company completed the initial flight series of the Kratos J85 engine version of the Firejet unmanned aerial system (UAS), dubbed Mk1 Firejet.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
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With a grand opening date set for June 5, construction crews have about six weeks to finish up the $34 million project, now dubbed Clock Tower Landing.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungle. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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