as in fumbled
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 bungled
The accusation is that the administration bungled by not believing that Iran would follow through on its threats.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
But both episodes will go down in state history as poorly handled, bungled beyond all understanding, the two shoves on our back that sent us spiraling out of control.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
Compare that to how Bondi prostituted the Justice Department to a vengeful president and bungled the entire Epstein matter.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Andrew Cunanan, and Beanie Feldstein’s wide-eyed Monica Lewinsky, a performance that might have achieved icon status had Disney not bungled the FX on Hulu rollout.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
But both episodes will go down in state history as poorly handled, bungled beyond all understanding, the two shoves on our back that sent us spiraling out of control.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
Compare that to how Bondi prostituted the Justice Department to a vengeful president and bungled the entire Epstein matter.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Andrew Cunanan, and Beanie Feldstein’s wide-eyed Monica Lewinsky, a performance that might have achieved icon status had Disney not bungled the FX on Hulu rollout.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungled
Verb
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Trailing to Jule Brand's 19th-minute goal for record eight-time champion Lyon, Arsenal was gifted an equalizer in the 59th when Mariona Caldentey's low free kick into the area was fumbled backward by goalkeeper Christiane Endler and onto the post.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Critics say the Epstein files show how Republican and Democratic administrations alike fumbled the Epstein investigation over two decades, leaving potential coconspirators uncharged.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Such was the scale of frustration that Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, had to acknowledge that the rollout was botched, and the company reinstated access.—
Cody Turner,
The Conversation,
1 May 2026
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Rocchio got on base to lead off the fifth when first baseman Jonathan Aranda's botched a slow rolling grounder for an error and Steven Kwan followed with a double.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Brunson had 27 points by halftime, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that blew the score to 74-51 and gave him the second-most first-half points in Knicks playoff history.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
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The Great Gatsby was the first book that kind of blew things open for me in terms of symbolism and deeper meaning and language.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungled. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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