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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bungle
Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
Chris Lee, Vulture, 31 July 2025
Lately, all Nam-hyeok’s busts are bungled and the not-so-dynamic duo must deal with double crosses and blown covers.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Verb
The admission is just the latest bungle from New York’s beleaguered legal marijuana program, which has been hamstrung by legal challenges, a slow rollout and gaps in the law that allowed an illicit market to flourish.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
Whither Pluto? One of the biggest TV-industry crimes of the current decade has been how the last couple of regimes at Paramount have bungled their ownership of free streamer Pluto TV.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 31 July 2025
Lately, all Nam-hyeok’s busts are bungled and the not-so-dynamic duo must deal with double crosses and blown covers.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungle
Verb
-
Lucille Ball once lost her glasses on stage at the Emmys and had to fumble her way through.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Seconds thereafter, the Clippers fumbled the ball away once again, setting up Gloucester with another short field.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This might seem like a minor quibble, but the fact that the new movie botches the whole wait-what-did-they-actually-do-last-summer thing speaks to a prevailing sense of laziness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 July 2025
-
The 10-member panel’s first time out, in 2022, was a total botch, as the process was unconstitutionally hijacked by Democrats in the Legislature until it was stopped by the state’s highest court.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
As health restrictions discouraged people from blowing directly into instruments, Gajewski and Brown reimagined the design.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Soldiers have also been spotted in parks carrying out tasks typically assigned to gardeners and landscapers – shoveling mulch, blowing leaves and scooping up trash.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Yastremska decorated her Yonex bag with cute furry bobbles and ribbons in Ukrainian flag colors.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
-
During the Monday, June 16, episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the actress and producer, 61, appeared in a black Stella McCartney suit covered with 3D metallic bobbles.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
Some hardware is brass-plated, which means scrubbing could expose the metal underneath and ruin the finish.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Simone Jasper,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The event, dubbed GW250114, became known in January when researchers spotted it with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) — a set of two identical instruments located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
-
And that sensitivity enabled the collaboration to record the sharpest gravitational wave signal thus far, dubbed GW250114.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungle. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share