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
Isak’s actions were disrespectfully militant, but Newcastle damagingly bungled the situation.
—
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 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
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 16 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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Henderson also fumbled after hauling in a pass from DeVito.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
2 June 2026
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During Miami’s two periods of special teams work Malik Washington fumbled his first kickoff return, but most of the other punt returners and kickoff returned fielded their attempts well.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Chisholm's followed with a liner off the base of the wall in right before scoring when second baseman Travis Bazzana botched a grounder.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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Chisolm followed with a liner off the base of the wall in right before scoring when second baseman Travis Bazzana botched a grounder.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Special effects then came in and blew fake snow on the ground and the walls to give them extra texture.—
Beatrice Verhoeven,
HollywoodReporter,
14 June 2026
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On Saturday night into Sunday morning, a new round of gusty storms blew through the area.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungled. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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