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
Michael Liedtke, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Isak’s actions were disrespectfully militant, but Newcastle damagingly bungled the situation.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
Apollo’s acquisition came after Verizon Communications bought Yahoo’s online operations in 2017 and then bungled an attempt to blend those services into AOL, another internet pioneer.
—Michael Liedtke, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Isak’s actions were disrespectfully militant, but Newcastle damagingly bungled the situation.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
With suspiciously fortuitous timing, Andy is snapped up as Runway’s new features editor—a move that Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the Si Newhouse-esque head of Elias-Clarke, hopes will salvage what remains of the publication’s credibility in the wake of Miranda’s bungle.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
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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Lose Aaron Jones, and the offense will hinge on Jordan Mason, who has a mountain to climb in pass protection, and rookie Demond Claiborne, who fumbled five times in 179 carries last season at Wake Forest.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
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In doing so, the TV adaptation fumbled the comics’ superior final act, turning Butcher’s own ignominious death at the hands of Hughie into an ineffective afterthought.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 May 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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Interestingly, the blowing agent is derived from oyster shells discarded by the seafood industry, and the magnesium and calcium are sourced as natural byproducts of seawater desalination.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
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Arizona had already established a commanding 7-2 lead going into the fourth inning, but the Diamondbacks blew the doors open by putting up a five-spot to take a 10-run lead.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
19 May 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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But at the same time, film has always been a labor of love, and cutting too many corners could ruin the art form entirely.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
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According to the researchers, even small variations can weaken the final structure or ruin an entire print.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
22 May 2026
Verb
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The place is a sound-effects recording studio, with three sound designers creating and dubbing aural effects — footsteps on a sandy beach, flapping bird wings — onto pieces of film footage.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 May 2026
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The sound engineer at the mixing console is dubbed Pierre (Vincent Cassel).—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungle. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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